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ACEOSS  TEXAS 


BT 

EDWARD  S.  ELLIS 

AUTHOB  OK       BOY  PIONEER  SERIES,"  "  DEERFOOT  SERIES,'* 
"  LOG  CABEN  SERIES."  ETC.,  ETC. 


PHILADELPHIA 
HENRY  T.  COAXES  &  CO. 


Copyright,  1893, 

BY 

PORTER  &  COATES. 


CONTENTS. 


£47 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  A  Letter  and  a  Telegram,    ....  1 

II.  TnRoron  to  Texas, 10 

III.  In  San  A>'Toxio 20 

IV.  A  Startling  Ixterrcption,        ...  29 
V.  A  Test  of  One's  Nerves,        ....  38 

VI.  Two  Good  Shots 49 

VII.  An  Intruder  in  Caiep, 59 

VIII.  BellKickard 69 

IX.  Departure  of  the  Guest,       ....  78 

X.  Danger  in  the  East, 87 

XI.  STR.VNGE  Proceedings, 9G 

XII.  What  Does  IT  Mean  ?           ....  105 

XIII.  As  Unexpected  Signal,          ....  114 

XIV.  A  Strange  Absence, 123 

XV.  Caught  Foul,            132 

XVI.  .:\js-  Astounding  Discovery,         .        .        .  141 

XVII.  The  Solitary  Pursuer,  .        .        .        .150 

XVIII.  The  Second  Range  of  Hills,     .        .        .  1.19 

XIX.  In  the  Ravine 1G8 

XX.  Reinforcements, 176 

XXI.  The  Pursuit.             186 

XXII.  Across  the  Border, 195 

iu 


Mf;273()y 


IV 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 

XXIII.  A  Remc  of  Other  Days, 

XXIV.  A  Race  with  ai*  Avalanche, 

XXV.  The  Ranch, 

XXVI.  Bell  Rickard's  ScHEJfE, 
XXVII.  "Watching  and  Waiting, 

XXVIII.  The  Sound  OP  A  Pistol, 
XXIX.  Through  the  Night, 
XXX.  A  Figure  in  the  Darkness, 
XXXI.  The  Return,      . 
XXXII.  The  Encounter,     . 

XXXIII.  Important  Negotiations, 

XXXIV.  A  Strange  Discovery, 
XXXV.  Through  the  Lines  Again, 

XXXVI.  The  Decision, 
XXXVII.  The  Final  Charge,  . 
XXXVIII.  Conclusion,    .        .       .       . 


PAGE 

204 
213 
222 
230 
239 
248 
257 
266 
275 
284 
291 
303 
311 
820 
329 
337 


ACROSS  TEXAS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A   LETTER  AND   A   TELEGRAM. 

"TVTICK  RIBSAM,  of  whom  I  had  consider- 
-i-N  able  to  tell  you  in  "  The  Young  Moose 
Hunters,"  returned  to  his  humble  home  in 
Western  Pennsylvania  with  his  health  fully 
restored  by  his  stirring  experience  in  the 
mountainous  forests  of  Maine.  He  was  natu- 
rally strong  and  active,  and  one  glance  at  his 
bright  eyes,  his  ruddy  cheeks,  and  his  alert 
movements  told  his  sister  Nellie  and  the 
beloved  father  and  mother  that  the  prescrip- 
tion of  the  physician  had  worked  like  a  charm. 
Nick  was  now  a  sturdy  youth,  a  bright 
scholar  and  a  general  favorite  with  all  who 
knew  him.  His  parents  were  not  of  the  kind 
that  are  demonstrative,  but  their  hearts  were 


2  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

wrapped  up  in  their  worthy  son,  and  they 
were  full  of  gratitude  that  he  should  come 
back  to  them  at  the  end  of  what,  after  all,  was 
only  a  brief  absence,  without  a  trace  of  the 
Aveakness  that  caused  them  so  much  misgiving 
when  he  went  away.' 

They  felt  a  strong  friendship  and  affection, 
too,  for  Herbert  Watrous  and  his  parents, 
through  whose  kindness  the  trip  down  East 
was  brought  about.  There  was  no  "  discount- 
ing" the  fondness  of  the  Watrouses  for  the 
manly  youth.  Mr.  Watrous,  as  has  been 
shown,  iDossessed  large  means,  and  denied  his 
son  nothing,  his  affection  for  Herbert  leading 
him  astray  in  that  respect.  But  he  saw  the 
great  good  done  his  boy  through  his  associa- 
tion with  Nick.  You  know  that  the  most 
forceful  sermon  ever  preached  is  that  of  exam- 
ple. It  matters  little  what  a  person  says,  but 
it  is  everything  what  he  does.  It  is  not  the 
profession,  but  the  life  which  must  be  the  test, 
as  it  certainly  will  be  before  the  final  Judge  of 
all  mankind. 

Mr.  Watrous  and  his  wife  welcomed  Her- 
bert home,  and  their  eyes  sparkled  at  sight  of 


A   LETTEll   AND   A   TELEGRAM.  6 

the  immense  stuffed  moose  forming  a  striking 
trophy  of  the  young  man's  visit  to  Uncle  Dick 
Musgrove.  He  could  not  be  blamed  for  feel- 
ing iDroud  over  his  prize,  and  for  having  a 
number  of  large  photographs  struck  off  and 
sent  to  his  friends,  but  that  which  touched 
the  parents'  hearts  was  the  change  in  Herbert 
himself.  He  had  always  been  fond  of  them, 
but  with  that  feeling  was  now  mingled  a 
tender  respect  that  had  been  wanting  before. 
He  never  forgot  their  wishes  ;  he  showed  a 
deeper  interest  in  his  studies  ;  he  abandoned 
habits  and  associations  which  he  knew  his 
parents  disliked  ;  he  made  a  confidant  of  his 
father  as  well  as  his  mother,  and  consulted 
with  them  and  asked  their  counsel  in  what- 
ever important  step  he  had  in  mind. 

Now,  what  had  wrought  this  change  in  Her- 
bert Watrous?  Nick  had  done  very  little 
"preaching"  to  him.  True,  whenever  the 
cliance  was  inviting,  he  dropped  a  word  or  two 
that  clinched  an  important  principle,  and  now 
and  then,  when  their  long  talks  took  a  favor- 
able drift,  he  gave  his  views  with  a  power  and 
point  that  could  not  be  mistaken,  but  it  was 


4  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

the  daily  life  of  Nick  that  did  the  blessed 
work. 

A  family  holding  the  social  position  of  Mr. 
Watrous  in  New  York  has  no  lack  of  priv- 
ileges for  a  son ;  but  there  was  nothing  that 
gave  Herbert  the  genuine  pleasure  that  he 
gained  by  a  visit  to  Nick  Ribsam,  in  his  quiet 
country  home  in  Western  Pennsylvania.  The 
pure  air,  the  healthful  food,  the  perfect  cook- 
ing, the  cleanliness  that  was  everywhere,  the 
cheerfulness,  the  mutual  love  and  confidence, 
the  warm  welcome  from  everyone  —  these 
brought  to  him  an  enjoyment  and  satisfaction 
far  beyond  what  mere  wealth  can  buy. 

It  was  during  the  early  autumn  succeeding 
the  incidents  told  in  "The  Moose  Hunters," 
that  Herbert  paid  his  second  visit  to  Nick. 
The  latter  met  him  at  the  railway  station,  but 
the  delight  of  welcoming  his  old  friend  to  his 
country  home  was  sadly  marred  by  the  appear- 
ance of  Herbert.  Beyond  a  doubt  he  was  in  a 
bad  way.  He  was  nearly  six  feet  tall,  very 
slim,  with  a  flushed  face,  a  dragging  walk, 
short  breath,  and,  indeed,  with  every  sign  of 
incipient  consumption. 


A   LETTER   A^^D   A   TELEGRAM.  0 

"I  know  what  you  are  thinking  about," 
said  he,  with  a  wan  smile,  "but  I  don't  look 
any  worse  than  I  feel." 

"You  do  look  bad,"  replied  Nick,  as  he 
drove  homeward  in  their  old-fashioned  car- 
riage.    "What  does  it  mean?" 

"I  hardly  know;  the  doctor  says  I  am 
growing  too  fast,  have  studied  too  hard,  and 
haven't  had  enough  exercise.  You  know  I 
meant  to  enter  Yale  this  fall  and  have  been 
boning  like  the  mischief.  But  I  have  given  up 
that  and  postponed  college  for  a  year  at  least, 
and,"  he  added  with  a  sigh,  "perhaps  for- 
ever." 

"You  mustn't  talk  that  way,"  said  Nick, 
pained  beyond  expression;  "you  must  stop 
all  study  and  live  outdoors  for  a  few  weeks. 
You  have  no  bad  habits,  Herbert  ?  " 

"None  at  all,  though  I  may  be  reaping 
the  penalty  of  my  former  foolishness  ;  but  I 
haven't  touched  tobacco  or  alcohol  in  any 
form  for  six  months." 

"  I  see  no  reason  why  you  should  not  come 
out  all  right  in  a  short  time,"  added  Nick,  ut- 
tering: the  wish  rather  than  the  belief  he  felt. 


6  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

"I  have  a  letter  in  my  pocket  from  my 
father  to  your  father  ;  I  know  what  is  in  it, 
but  I  will  let  him  tell  you  himself." 

Home  being  reached,  the  team  put  away, 
and  a  kind  welcome  given  to  Herbert  by  Nellie 
and  her  parents,  all  sat  down  to  the  meal 
awaiting  them.  At  its  conclusion,  Herbert 
handed  the  letter  he  bore  to  Mr.  Ribsam,  who 
curiously  broke  the  seal. 

When  he  saw  it  was  written  in  English  he 
smiled  and  passed  it  to  his  son. 

"I  vill  lets  Nick  read  him,  cause  I  don't 
English  reads  as  veil  as  German  as  I  don't." 

Nick  took  the  missive  and  read  aloud,  the 
others  listening  attentively : 

"New  York,  October  13,  18— 
"  My  Dear  Mr.  Ribsam  : 

"  My  sou  Herbert  has  expressed  the  gratitude  which 
his  mother  and  myself  will  ever  feel  toward  your  noble 
son  Nicholas,  for  the  immeasurable  good  he  has  done  my 
boy  by  his  precept  and  example.  That  influence  will 
follow  him  like  a  blessing  through  life,  and  you  and 
your  good  wife  are  to  be  congratulated  on  having  such 
a  worthy  child. 

"  I  am  about  to  ask  a  great  favor  of  you.  We  are 
alarmed  for  Herbert's  health.  It  is  certainly  singular 
that  last  winter  it  was  your  son  whose  condition  was 
bad,  while  now  it  is  my  own  who  is  in  a  condition  that 


A   LETTEPw   AXD   A   TELEGRAM.  7 

causes  us  the  gravest  alarm.  I  have  consulted  the  best 
physicians  in  New  York,  who  tell  me  that  he  is  threat- 
ened with  consumption  ;  that  medicine  will  not  cure 
him,  but,  like  your  own  son  last  year,  he  must  give  up 
his  indoors  life  at  home  and  secure  a  radical  change  of 
air  and  surroundings. 

"  I  would  arrange  to  have  him  spend  a  few  weeks  with 
you,  where  I  know  he  is  welcome,  but  the  medical  men 
tell  me  that  he  runs  a  risk  so  long  as  he  is  exposed  to  a 
northern  climate,  with  its  sudden  and  violent  changes. 

* '  We  have  considered  the  question  of  a  sea  voyage, 
and  a  winter  in  the  Bermudas,  the  West  Indies,  or  in 
Southern  France ;  but  there  are  objections  to  all  these, 
the  principal  of  which  is  our  dislike  to  have  hun  go  out 
of  our  own  country,  where  he  would  have  to  meet  a  new 
language,  different  kinds  of  people,  and  unfavorable 
surroundings. 

"The  plan  we  have  decided  upon  is  to  send  him  on  a 
tour  through  the  south westei*n  section  of  our  own  coun- 
try. We  have  arranged  for  him  to  visit  Texas,  Arizona, 
New  Mexico,  and  Southern  California,  hoping  that  by 
the  return  of  spring  he  will  be  so  fully  restored  to  health 
that  he  can  come  home  as  sound  in  body  as  your  own 
son. 

"  The  favor  I  ask  of  you  is  that  you  will  consent  that 
Nicholas  shall  accompany  him.  I  am  aware  that  this  is 
asking  a  great  sacrifice  of  you,  and  I  have  hesitated  a 
long  time  before  putting  the  request  on  paper.  You 
need  your  boy  at  home  with  you  ;  it  will  cause  you  and 
liis  mother  and  sisters  great  misgiving  to  let  him  go 
away  for  five  or  six  months,  and  no  doubt  involve  con- 
siderable pecuniary  loss.  Still,  my  solicitude  for  my 
own  child  forces  me  to  ask  this  great  sacrifi.ce  at  your 
hands. 


8  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

"In  doing  so,  there  are  several  conditions  upon  which 
I  shall  insist.  The  first  is  that  under  no  circumstances 
shall  it  cost  you  or  your  son  a  penny.  My  position  in 
railway  matters  enables  me  to  secure,  without  trouble, 
passes  on  the  leading  lines  from  your  home  over  the 
entire  route  and  return.  These  passes  are  now  in  Her- 
bert's possession.  Other  expenses  will  be  involved,  as 
some  of  the  travelling  will  have  to  be  done  in  stage 
coaches  and  on  horseback,  to  say  nothing  of  the  cost  of 
living.  All  this  is  provided  for.  My  son  has  letters  to 
bankers  at  various  points  en  route  which  will  secure  him 
ample  funds.  They  will  need  no  outfit  until  they  reach 
San  Antonio,  and  start  further  westward.  It  is  my 
earnest  wish  that  if  Nicholas  accompanies  Herbert,  doing 
so  as  his  friend,  companion,  and,  in  one  sense,  his  escort, 
I  shall  be  permitted  to  make  compensation  therefor,  as 
properly  due  you  for  loss  of  his  valuable  services. 

"If  you  will  consent  that  your  son  shall  go  with  him, 
I  advise  that  the  start  be  made  at  once  from  your  house. 
If  you  feel  that  I  am  presuming  too  much  on  your  kind- 
ness do  not  hesitate  to  say  so,  and  I  will  try  to  make 
other  arrangenents. 

"I  am,  my  dear  sir,  very  truly  yours, 

"J.  H.  Watrous." 

To  quote  a  familiar  expression,  the  reading 
of  tliis  letter  produced  a  sensation.  Every  eye 
was  fixed  on  Nick,  as  lie  sat  in  his  chair  with 
the  missive  in  his  hand,  and  pronounced  the 
words  in  a  clear  voice. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  give  the  conversation 
that  followed,  for  it  was  a  long  one  in  which 


A   LETTER   AND   A   TELEGRAM.  9 

all  shared,  but  late  that  afternoon  Nick  har- 
nessed up  the  old  roan  again  and  drove  to 
the  railway  station  with  Herbert.  Hastily 
leaving  the  vehicle,  they  passed  into  the  tele- 
graph office,  where  the  city  youth  wrote  out 
a  telegram  addressed  to  his  father,  and  it 
ran  thus : 

It  is  all  fixed  :  Nick  and  I  leave  for  Texas  and  the 
soutliwest  to-morrow.  Good-by,  and  love  to  you  and 
mother. 

Herbert. 


CHAPTER   11. 

THROUGH   TO   TEXAS. 

LET  me  skip  a  great  deal  of  what  may  be 
^  called  introduction,  for  of  necessity  it 
bore  a  resemblance  to  that  which  has  already 
been  told,  and  has  little  if  any  connection 
with  the  main  events  of  my  story. 

Mr.  Watrous'  arrangements  for  the  comfort 
of  the  boys  was  perfect.  The  ride  to  St.  Louis 
in  the  famous  Limited  Express  was  the  luxury 
of  railway  travelling,  and  they  landed  in  the 
Mound  City  within  twenty-four  hours  after 
leaving  Philadelphia,  where  Nick  met  his  old 
friend,  Ned  Osmun,  who  had  given  to  him  his 
wonderful  ride  on  his  engine  to  Jersey  City. 
He  wished  them  every  pleasure  on  their  long 
journey,  which  he  said  caused  him  a  touch  of 
envy,  but  he  meant  to  even-up  matters  by 
another  fishing  excursion  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, with  a  call  on  Nick's  parents  and 
pretty  Nellie. 

10 


THROUGH   TO   TEXAS.  11 

They  stayed  overnight  at  the  Lindell  in  St. 
Louis,  but  were  in  such  a  hurry  to  reacli  their 
destination  that,  without  spending  any  time 
in  visiting  the  sights  and  interesting  scenes, 
they  left  the  following  morning  over  the  Iron 
Mountain  Railway  for  Texarkana. 

This  ride,  though  long  and  at  times  tedious, 
was  enjoyed  by  both,  for  the  scenes  and  inci- 
dents gave  a  foretaste  of  what  was  coming. 
A  number  of  cattlemen  were  on  the  train,  and 
the  boys  struck  uj)  an  acquaintance  with 
them.  They  found  them  pleasant  and  ready 
to  impart  all  the  information  that  was  asked 
for. 

There  were  long  hours  of  riding  through  the 
dismal  pine  woods  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas, 
where,  mile  after  mile,  they  saw  only  an  occa- 
sional settler's  cabin,  with  the  half-dressed 
children  playing  around  the  door.  In  several 
cases,  the  openings  between  the  logs  were  so 
large  that  they  could  look  through  both  the 
front  and  rear  of  the  structure  and  see  the 
trees  on  the  other  side. 

Tiiey  left  the  train  at  Malvern,  and  took  the 
narrow  gauge  railway  to  the  celebrated  Hot 


12  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

Springs,  twenty-five  miles  distant,  where  they 
stayed  overnight.  One  of  the  interesting 
facts  learned  here  was  the  clever  manner  in 
which  "Diamond  Jo,"  who  built  and  owns 
the  narrow  gauge  railway,  outwitted  the  Ar- 
kansas Legislature,  which  forbade  a  charge  of 
more  than  five  cents  a  mile  on  every  line  in 
the  State  between  any  two  places.  The  cai:)i- 
talist  named  had  been  charging  and  receiving 
ten  cents  a  mile,  and  he  now  flanked  the  law 
by  locating  the  western  terminus  of  his  line 
within  two  or  three  feet  of  the  boundary  of 
Hot  Springs,  and  continued  serenely  to  receive 
his  excessive  rates  as  before. 

They  reached  Texarkana  Saturday  evening, 
and,  since  there  was  no  travelling  westward  on 
Sunday,  that  day  was  spent  in  the  town,  which 
lies  partly  within  Texas  and  partly  within  Ar- 
kansas, and  includes  within  its  odd  name  a  por- 
tion of  the  appellation  of  each  of  the  two  States. 

They  attended  church,  which  was  capable  of 
accommodating  fifty  people  by  crowding,  and 
whose  walls  contained  but  a  single  placard, 
which  was  a  request  for  the  attendants  not  to 
spit  on  the  floor. 


THROUGH   TO   TEXAS.  13 

The  next  stopping  place  was  at  Austin,  the 
capital  of  Texas.  The  weather  was  quite 
warm,  but  the  nights  were  cool  and  breezy, 
and  the  glimpses  ot  the  snowy  cotton  fields 
were  a  treat  to  the  boys,  who  looked  upon  them 
for  the  first  time. 

They  spent  one  night  and  a  portion  of  a  day 
in  Austin,  visiting  the  capitol  and  strolling 
through  the  city,  which  contains  many  fine 
buildings  of  white  marble-like  stone,  peculiar 
to  the  vicinity.  In  the  capitol  they  saw  seve- 
ral fine  paintings  of  the  early  heroes  of  Texas. 
On  the  cenotaph  (since  destroyed  by  the  burn- 
ing of  the  capitol),  was  the  inscription  to  the 
memory  of  the  defenders  of  the  Alamo,  which 
is  one  of  the  most  striking  tributes  ever  con- 
ceived by  man :  "tUERMOPYL.£  had  ITS  MES- 
SENGER OF  defeat:   the  alamo  had  none." 

The  railway  line  to  San  Antonio  had  recently 
been  finished,  and  they  arrived  in  that  quaint 
old  town  as  night  was  closing  in.  A  bright 
moon  was  shining  in  an  unclouded  sky,  and, 
after  registering  at  the  Menger  House,  facing 
the  Plaza,  they  strolled  through  the  city  and 
enjoyed  a  view  of  the  Alamo  by  moonlight. 


14  ACEOSS   TEXAS. 

The  brown  adobe  walls  were  softened  in  the 
mild  radiance,  and,  as  Nick  described  the  de- 
fence made  by  the  garrison  of  less  than  two 
hundred  men  against  four  thousand  Mexicans 
under  Santa  Anna,  it  seemed  to  Herbert  that 
he  was  witnessing  that  tremendous  fight, 
which  continued  for  eleven  days,  until  only 
a  dozen  grimy,  panting,  and  exhausted  de- 
fenders were  left.  The  terrible  Colonel  Bowie 
was  shot  in  his  sick  bed,  and  Davy  Crock- 
ett was  among  the  handful  that  at  last  sur- 
rendered, under  the  promise  of  honorable 
treatment,  but  were  treacherously  massacred 
by  Santa  Anna. 

The  winding  Colorado  was  impressively 
beautiful  in  the  moonlight,  and  the  adobe  mis- 
sion houses,  which  were  visited  the  next  day, 
were  viewed  with  the  interest  that  all  tourists 
feel  when  they  first  look  upon  them.  Each 
was  over  a  century  old.  One,  in  a  fine  state  of 
preservation,  was  pointed  out,  where  the  Jesuit 
fathers  were  besieged  by  the  Comanche  Indians 
for  nearly  two  years. 

Among  the  curiosities  noticed  in  San  An- 
tonio were  the  Mexican  dogs,  without  a  hair 


THROUGH   TO   TEXAS.  15 

on  their  bodies,  and  the  other  canines,  known 
as  "tramps  "  or  "nobody's  dogs,"  who  roam 
over  the  country  between  the  city  and  the  Rio 
Grande,  picking  up  their  food,  as  do  their 
biped  brothers,  and  confessing  to  the  owner- 
ship of  no  one.  That  portion  of  San  Antonio 
called  Mexico  was  squalid,  and  made  up  of 
old  residents,  many  of  whom  cannot  speak  a 
word  of  English,  while  in  other  sections  nearly 
everyone  understands  English,  Sx)anish,  and 
German. 

The  boys  stayed  several  days  in  this  city, 
for  they  looked  upon  it  as  their  real  starting 
point  or  entrance  into  the  great  southwest. 
They  had  talked  over  the  question  while  on 
their  way  thither,  and  agreed  upon  the  line  to 
be  followed.  Herbert  had  a  letter  of  recom- 
mendation to  Mr.  Lord,  a  banker,  by  which  he 
could  secure  all  the  funds  needed,  and  who 
showed  a  wish  to  help  him  in  every  way  in  his 
power. 

He  invited  the  boys  to  visit  him  at  his 
house,  where  they  spent  an  evening  with  the 
gentleman,  who,  having  been  a  resident  in 
Texas  from  a  date  several  years  before  the  Civil 


16  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

War,  was  able  to  give  the  very  knowledge  and 
counsel  they  needed.  He  told  them  a  fact  that 
they  had  not  noticed.  San  Antonio  itself  is  a 
resort  for  invalids  threatened  with,  or  suffering 
from,  pulmonary  weakness,  who  find  the  mild, 
equable  climate  very  helpful.  He  had  known 
of  cases  in  which  it  had  wrought  a  complete 
cure. 

"But  I  see,"  he  said  with  a  smile,  "that 
that  doesn't  suit  your  ideas  ;  while  there  are 
many  sights  here  that  you  have  not  seen — 
such  as  the  Colorado  Springs— yet  you  could 
not  content  yourselves  in  our  sleepy  town  for 
more  than  a  day  or  two  longer.  You  can  take 
the  stage  from  here  to  El  Paso,  but  the  ride  is 
tiresome,  and,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  dusty 
and  trying  to  a  degree." 

"  I  don't  think  we  should  fancy  that,"  said 
Nick,  who  refrained  from  giving  a  hint  of  the 
plan  they  had  formed. 

"  I  suppose  you  are  both  good  horsemen  ? " 
was  the  inquiring  remark  of  the  banker. 

They  answered  that  they  were  fairly  good 
riders.  Nick  had  learned  to  ride  horses 
almost  as  soon  as  he  could  walk,   and  Her- 


THROUOn   TO   TEXAS.  17 

bert  had  taken  instructions  at  an  academy  in 
New  York  for  a  couple  of  years  past. 

"Everybody  rides  a  horse  or  burro  in 
Texas,"  said  Mr.  Lord,  "and  the  only  caution 
you  need  is  to  make  sure  you  possess  a  clear 
title  to  the  animal  you  throw  your  leg  over. 
There  are  few  people  hanged  in  Texas  for 
murder,  but  plenty  are  strung  up  every  year 
for  horse-stealing.  You  would  be  objects  of 
suspicion  if  you  should  take  a  walk  out  in  the 
country.  My  advice,  then,  is  to  buy  three 
excellent  ponies,  provide  yourselves  with  a 
good  outfit,  including  a  fine  repeating  Winches- 
ter rifle  and  a  revolver  apiece,  with  plenty  of 
ammunition.  You  will  need  an  extra  animal 
to  carry  your  luggage.  Then  strike  out  for 
New  Mexico.  You  will  have  to  ride  a  clean 
five  hundred  miles  before  crossing  the  boun- 
dary, but  it  is  the  right  season  of  the  year, 
and  the  ride  will  do  you  good." 

"Do  you  advise  us  to  go  alone?"  asked 
Herbert. 

"By  no  means  ;  you  must  have  companions 
who  are  familiar  with  the  country,  and  they 
can  be  easily  secured." 
2 


18  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

^'How?" 

"  There  are  hunters,  miners,  prospectors,  and 
adventurers  in  San  Antonio  all  the  time,  who 
have  either  just  come  from  the  vi^ild  regions 
beyond  or  are  about  to  set  out  for  them.  They 
may  be  rough  in  their  ways,  but  they  are  gen- 
erally honest  and  trustworthy,  and  there  will 
be  no  trouble  in  engaging  them  as  companions." 

"  You  have  laid  out  the  plan  Herbert  and 
I  had  fixed  upon,  but  we  felt  doubts  about 
being  able  to  carry  it  out.  We  have  informed 
ourselves,  so  far  as  we  can,  concerning  the 
country  over  which  we  wish  to  ride,  and  the 
more  we  learned,  the  more  we  saw  the  need  of 
having  men  who  were  familiar  with  it.  How 
about  the  Indians  ? " 

"Well,  you  are  liable  to  meet  them,  but 
I  do  not  think  there  is  much  to  be  feared,  as 
I  have  heard  no  disquieting  rumors  lately, 
though,"  added  the  banker  significantly, 
"  I  was  shot  at  myself,  "within  the  present 
year,  by  a  party  of  marauding  Comanches, 
within  six  miles  of  San  Antonio.  When  you 
get  into  New  Mexico,  you  will  be  likely  to  find 
matters  more  lively." 


THROUGH   TO   TEXAS.  19 

"Can  you  help  us  in  engaging  tlie  riglit 
parties  ? " 

"I  think  so;  call  around  at  my  office  to- 
morrow afternoon,  when  I  am  quite  sure  I  will 
be  able  to  put  you  on  the  track  of  the  ones 
whom  you  ought  to  meet." 

The  lads  assured  their  host  that  they  would 
be  glad  to  do  so,  and,  declining  his  kind  invita- 
tion to  spend  the  night  at  his  home,  bade  him 
good-evening  and  started  on  their  return  to 
the  Monger  House. 


CHAPTER  III. 

IN   SAN  ANTONIO. 

"TVriCK  and  Herbert  stopped  on  tlie  Plaza 
-L^  to  inspect  a  bear,  which  a  lank  Texan 
had  fastened  to  a  staple  by  a  rope,  and  was 
w^aiting  thus  late  at  night  for  a  purchaser. 
The  moment  the  boys  passed,  the  owner  began 
urging  them  to  buy,  offering  the  brute  for  fif- 
teen dollars,  and  dwelling  with  much  elo- 
quence on  the  great  bargain  it  was  for  anyone. 

Our  friends,  however,  had  no  use  for  any 
animals  of  that  species,  and,  taking  care  to 
keep  beyond  reach  of  the  beast,  who  showed  a 
desire  for  closer  acquaintance,  they  sauntered 
toward  the  hotel. 

Just  before  reaching  it,  someone  touched 
Nick's  arm  in  such  a  timid  manner  that  he 
turned,  wondering  what  it  could  mean. 

A  lad  about  twelve  years  of  age,  ragged  and 
the  picture  of  distress,  asked  in  a  tremulous 
voice : 

20 


IN   SAN   ANTONIO.  21 

"Please,  sir,  you're  from  the  North,  aint 
you  r' 

"Yes,''  replied  Nick;  "is  your  home 
there?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  lad,  swallowing  a  lump 
in  his  throat,  "  and  I  would  give  the  world,  if 
I  had  it,  if  I  was  back  there  again." 

"  How  is  it  you're  here  ? 

"Me  and  Dick  Harrison  run  away  from 
home ;  we  lived  in  Philadelphia,  and  we 
haven't  had  anj^thing  to  eat  since  yesterday." 

"Where  is  Dick?" 

"He's  off  yonder,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Plaza ;  he's  just  dead  broke  up,  and  says  he 
won't  try  nothin'  more,  but  is  goin'  to  lay 
down  and  die." 

"I  don't  believe  anyone  has  ever  died  of 
starvation  in  San  Antonio;  can't  you  get 
work?" 

"  We  have  been  trying  for  two  weeks ;  we 
got  a  job  or  two  that  fetched  us  a  little  to  eat, 
but  we  can't  do  nothin'  more." 

"  Take  us  over  to  where  Dick  is,"  said  Her- 
bert, whose  heart  was  touched,  "and  let  us 
see  him." 


22  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

"Come  on,"  said  tlie  boy,  so  cheerfully  tliat 
Nick  and  his  friend  were  satisfied  he  was  tell- 
ing the  truth.  On  the  way  across  the  Plaza, 
they  questioned  Fred  Beekman,  as  he  gave  his 
name,  still  further. 

"What  made  you  run  away  from  home, 
Fred?" 

"Me  and  Dick  started  out  to  kill  Injins  and 
grizzly  bears." 

"How  did  you  make  out,"  asked  Herbert, 
who  recalled  that  it  was  not  so  long  since  he 
had  indulged  in  similar  ambitious  ideas. 

"  We  haven't  killed  any  yet,"  replied  Fred, 
in  such  a  doleful  voice  that  the  others  could 
not  help  smiling. 

"How  did  you  get  the  money  to  come  to 
Texas?" 

"  Dick  and  me  stole  it  from  our  folks ;  we 
bought  rifles  and  pistols,  but  when  we  got  to 
Texarkana  we  was  took  up  and  the  guns  took 
away  from  us  ;  we  managed  to  sneak  off,  and 
had  enough  money  left  to  come  to  Santone ; 
here  it  give  out,  and  we've  had  it  hard  since." 

"  Had  you  pleasant  homes  ? "  asked  Nick. 

This    question  set    Fred    to    crying.      His 


IN   SAN   ANTONIO.  23 

fingers  were  in  liis  eyes,  and  he  stumbled 
along  for  several  paces  before  he  conld  answer : 

"Nobody  ever  had  better  homes,  biit  we  got 
it  into  our  heads  that  it  would  be  nice  to  shoot 
grizzly  bears  and  Injins,  and  here  we  are.  If 
we  only  had  enough  money  to  keep  us  from 
starvin'  we  could  walk  home  like  reg'lar 
tramps." 

"  You  are  a  good  many  miles  from  Philadel- 
phia," said  Nick.  "If  you  could  get  there, 
would  you  go  straight  home,  or  would  you 
start  off  on  some  other  wild-goose  chase  like 
this?" 

"Oh,  if  I  could  see  father  and  mother  and 
my  brother  and  two  sisters,  I  would  work  and 
go  to  school  and  do  anything  ;  I  never  knowed 
how  good  a  home  I  had  till  I  run  away,  and 
Dick  feels  the  same  way." 

A  few  minutes  later  they  reached  the  spot 
where  Dick  had  been  left,  but  he  was  nowhere 
in  sight.  Fred  looked  around  in  wonder,  and 
then  became  frightened. 

"I'll  bet  he's  gone  and  drownded  hisself," 
he  said,  in  an  awed  whisper,  "for  he  felt 
*nou":h  like  it." 


24  ACEOSS  TEXAS. 

"Boys  like  him  don't  drown  tliemselves," 
replied  Nick,  who  began  to  distrust  the  truth- 
fulness of  the  lad  ;  "if  you  want  us  to  give 
you  any  help  you  must  find  Dick  and  bring 
him " 

"There  he  is!"  broke  in  Fred,  pointing  to 
a  figure  lurking  among  the  shadows  some 
distance  off,  as  if  afraid  to  venture  closer. 
"Here,  Dick,  come  here!  you  needn't  be 
scart,  they  won't  hurt  you!" 

Seeing  the  lad  approaching,  Mck  said : 
"Now,  Fred,  I  don't  want  you  to  speak  a 
word  till  I  get  through  with  Dick." 

With  considerable  hesitation  Dick  ventured 
nearer,  and  Nick  immediately  took  him  in 
hand.  After  much  questioning,  he  became 
convinced  that  the  story  told  by  the  two  was 
true.  They  were  equally  ragged  and  wretched 
looking,  and,  despite  their  coarse  language, 
gave  evidence  of  having  belonged  to  good 
families. 

Nick  and  Herbert  provided  them  with  an  ex- 
cellent supper.  They  were  as  ravenous  as 
wild  animals,  and  left  no  doubt  that  they  were 
half  famishing.     Then,  having  made  sure  that 


IN   SAN   ANTONIO.  25 

they  liad  a  place  to  sleep  during  the  niglit, 
Nick  told  them  to  call  at  the  hotel  in  the 
morning,  and  he  would  see  whether  he  and 
his  friend  could  do  anything  for  them. 

During  the  interview,  Nick  managed  to  get 
the  addresses  of  their  parents  in  Philadelphia, 
without  either  suspecting  his  purpose.  On 
reaching  the  Menger,  he  at  once  telegraphed  to 
each  father,  asking  whether  a  son  whose  name 
he  gave  was  missing.  He  hardly  doubted 
their  story,  but  it  was  well  that  he  took  means 
to  make  sure,  before  acting  upon  that  belief. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening,  a  reply  came  to 
each  message,  saying  that  the  boys  had  been 
missing  for  six  weeks,  begging  Nick  to  send 
both  home  without  delay,  and  pledging  that 
the  expense  would  be  paid  by  the  senders  of 
the  telegrams,  or,  if  desired,  funds  would  be 
telegraphed.  Nick  notified  the  parents  that 
the  boys  would  start  northward  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  a  statement  of  the  money  expended 
would  be  forwarded  by  mail. 

When  Fred  and  Dick  presented  themselves 
to  Nick  and  Herbert,  and  were  told  that  word 
had   been  received  from  their  relatives,  who 


26  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

would  be  deliglited  to  receive  tliem,  tliey  could 
hardly  believe  it,  but  were  finally  satisfied  that 
there  was  no  deception  about  it. 

Herbert  and  Nick  took  the  boys  to  a  cloth- 
ing establishment,  where  they  were  provided 
with  comfortable  outfits,  a  through  ticket  was 
furnished  to  each,  enough  money  given  to  pay 
their  expenses,  and  then,  with  a  few  words  of 
counsel,  they  were  desjiatched  homeward,  the 
happiest  boys  in  the  big  State  of  Texas. 

Then  Nick  inclosed  the  memoranda  to  the 
proper  parties,  and  dismissed  the  subject  from 
his  mind,  for  weightier  matters  required  atten- 
tion. 

Upon  calling  at  the  banker's  office  in  the 
afternoon,  they  were  surprised  to  find  he  had 
not  only  selected  the  two  men  that  were  to 
bear  them  company,  but  they  were  present,  by 
appointment  with  Mr.  Lord,  who  knew  at 
what  time  the  youths  would  arrive. 

The  individuals  were  typical  cowboys,  with 
their  broad-brimmed  sombreros  and  rattle- 
snake bands,  their  heavy  shirts,  trousers 
tucked  in  the  tops  of  their  boots,  immense 
spurs,  long  wavy  hair,  handkerchiefs  knotted 


IN   SAN   ANTONIO.  27 

about  their  necks,  bright  eyes  and  not  unhand- 
some countenances. 

Arden  Strubell,  the  elder,  was  about  thirty- 
five  years  of  age  and  wore  a  long  moustache 
and  goatee,  which,  like  his  hair  and  eyes,  were 
of  a  dark  auburn.  Baker  Lattin,  his  com- 
panion, was  a  few  years  younger,  with  lighter 
hair,  a  faint  moustache,  no  goatee,  was  wide 
across  the  temples,  and  his  eyes  were  light 
blue  or  gray,  but  his  appearance  was  as  alert 
and  intelligent  as  the  other's. 

These  men  were  old  friends  of  banker  Lord, 
who  had  engaged  with  them  upon  several 
hunting  excursions.  It  had  fallen  within  his 
power  to  do  for  them  a  number  of  monetary 
favors,  and  they  were  the  men  who  were  ready 
to  show  their  gratitude  in  any  way  he  desired. 

Strubell  and  Lattin  intended  to  start  in  the 
course  of  a  day  or  two  for  a  ranch  in  New 
Mexico.  They  expected  to  travel  the  entire 
distance  on  horseback,  accompanied  by  a 
single  pack  animal.  Both  once  belonged  to 
the  mounted  rangers  of  Texas,  and  had  prob- 
ably ridden  over  as  much  of  that  vast  area  as 
any    other    man    within  its  limits,   from   No 


28  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

Man's  Land  on  the  north,  through  the  Pan 
Handle  and  across  the  Llano  Estacado  to  the 
Rio  Grande  and  the  Pecos  on  the  south  and 
west. 

Strubell  had  been  in  several  brushes  with 
the  terrible  Geronimo  and  his  dusky  desjDera- 
does,  but  he  did  not  expect  to  reach  the 
section  where  there  was  danger  of  collision 
with  them,  their  stamping  ground  being 
further  to  the  west. 

Banker  Lord  had  been  offered  a  ranch  over 
the  line  in  New  Mexico,  at  such  reasonable 
figures  that  he  was  much  inclined  to  buy  it, 
but,  with  his  usual  caution,  he  desired  to 
know  of  a  certainty  its  value  before  investing 
the  money.  Strubell  and  Lattin  had  been 
employed,  therefore,  to  make  a  thorough  ex- 
amination and  to  report  on  the  same  to  him. 

This  happened  most  opportunely  for  Nick 
and  Herbert,  who  thus  were  furnished  with 
the  very  best  company  on  their  long  and 
dangerous  ride  through  Western  Texas,  while 
the  ranchmen  were  ordered  to  go  with  them, 
if  necessary,  beyond  into  Arizona  and  South- 
ern California. 


CHAPTER  ly. 

A   STARTLING   INTERRUPTION". 

IT  did  not  take  the  boys  long  to  become 
acquainted  with  Strubell  and  Lattin.  The 
former  showed  by  his  conversation  that  he 
possessed  a  fair  education,  though  Lattin  was 
barely  able  to  write  his  name.  They  were 
frank,  outspoken,  courageous,  ready  of  re- 
source, familiar  with  all  the  dangers  they 
were  likely  to  meet  on  the  long  ride  toward 
the  northwest,  and  the  finest  horsemen  the 
boys  had  ever  seen. 

Through  the  help  of  the  Texans,  Nick  and 
Herbert  secured  three  excellent  animals,  two 
of  them  possessing  great  speed  and  endurance, 
while  the  third  was  the  equal  of  the  best 
burro  or  mule  for  carrying  a  heavy  burden. 
The  Winchesters  were  the  best,  too,  of  their 
kind,  the  men  being  similarly  armed.  Nick 
and  Herbert  took  care  to  provide  themselves 
with  an  excellent  field-glass  apiece,  for  nothing 

29 


30  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

was  more  likely  than  that  they  would  find 
abundant  call  for  their  use.  The  rest  of  the 
supplies  were  bought  on  the  advice  of  the 
cowboys. 

They  passed  near  a  number  of  towns  and 
settlements  during  the  first  week,  in  one  of 
which  they  generally  stayed  overnight.  So 
long  as  they  were  able  to  secure  the  comforts 
of  ordinary  travel  through  a  settled  section, 
they  would  have  been  foolish  to  decline  it. 

It  had  been  so  long  since  the  boys  had 
ridden  far  on  horseback,  that  they  were 
stiffened  for  the  first  few  days,  so  that,  when 
they  dismounted,  they  were  hardly  able  to 
walk.  This,  however,  soon  wore  off  until 
they  were  able  to  stand  a  ride  of  forty  or  fifty 
miles  without  any  ill  effects. 

No  physician  could  have  watched  a  patient 
with  greater  care  than  Nick  watched  Herbert. 
He  tried  to  keep  it  from  the  knowledge  of  his 
friend,  and  thought  he  succeeded,  though 
Herbert  told  him  afterward  that  he  knew  all 
the  time  what  he  was  doing. 

The  elder  youth  felt  bad  when  they  reached 
St.  Louis,  and  was  still  worse  on  their  arrival 


A   STARTLING   INTERRUPTION.  31 

in  San  Antonio.  The  long  ride  in  the  cars 
made  him  feverish,  and  he  had  little  appetite, 
but  the  new  scenes  and  surroundings,  the 
cheerful  company  of  Nick,  and  his  own 
ambition  did  wonders  in  the  way  of  keeping 
him  up. 

He  showed  an  improvement  within  twenty- 
four  hours  after  arriving  in  the  City  of  the 
Alamo,  and  this  continued  steadily,  until  the 
second  day  out,  when  the  beautiful  weather, 
that  they  had  been  having  for  weeks,  was 
broken  by  a  norther  which,  however,  was  not 
severe,  though  it  brought  so  much  rain  and  dis- 
mal weather  that  they  were  compelled  to  lie  by 
at  one  of  the  straggling  frontier  towns  for 
several  days. 

They  rode  through  the  hills  and  highlands 
between  Fredericksburg  and  Fort  Clark,  ford- 
ing a  tributary  of  the  Llano  River,  and  push- 
ing almost  due  northwest  toward  New  Mexico, 
whose  southeast  corner  they  were  aiming  to 
strike  at  the  point  of  intersection  between 
the  twenty-sixth  meridian  and  thirty-second 
parallel. 

The  country  now  began  to  assume  a  wilder 


32  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

appearance.  The  weather  was  like  a  dream, 
and  Nick  could  well  understand  how  it  is  that 
more  than  twenty  thousand  people  in  Texas 
never  sleep  under  a  roof  from  one  year's  end  to 
another.  He  could  ai)preciate,  too,  the  reason 
why  the  immigrant,  no  matter  how  homesick, 
who  braves  it  out  for  six  months,  never  leaves 
Texas  unless  for  a  brief  visit  to  his  northern 
home,  returning  to  die  in  the  Lone  Star  State, 
which  has  become  the  land  of  his  adoption. 

The  appearance  showed  the  country,  or 
rather  that  portion  of  it,  to  contain  a  great 
many  more  people  than  the  boys  supi)osed 
before  entering  Texas.  The  settlements  were 
generally  miserable  collections  of  shanties, 
with  the  inevitable  gambling  and  drinking 
saloon  and  the  quota  of  "bad  men,"  on  the 
lookout  for  tenderfeet,  or  those  of  their  own 
class  that  were  ready  to  mingle  in  a  row  off- 
hand. Everyone  rode  on  horseback,  and  car- 
ried his  revolver  and  rifle,  the  latter  generally 
a  Winchester  of  the  repeating  pattern. 

The  cattlemen  were  numerous,  some  of  them 
nearly  always  in  sight  among  the  hills,  or  on 
the  broad,  rolling  prairie.     Occasionally  an  In- 


A   STARTLING   INTERRUPTION.  33 

dian  was  met,  but  lie  was  far  from  being  tlie 
romantic  individual  that  boys  generally  have 
in  mind,  when  reading  about  the  noble  red 
man.  lie  was  untidj^  and  sullen  looking, 
with  an  appetite  for  whiskey  that  was  never 
sated,  and  the  odor  of  rank  tobacco  around 
him. 

It  was  about  a  week  after  the  departure  from 
San  Antonio  that  the  youths  noticed  a  marked 
change  in  things.  The  country  became  more 
broken,  the  settlements  disappeared,  and  dur- 
ing the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  when  Herbert 
swept  the  horizon  with  his  field  glass,  he  made 
known,  with  an  expression  of  surprise,  that 
there  was  not  a  living  person,  so  far  as  he 
knew,  in  sight. 

"  We've  put  a  good  piece  of  country  behind 
us,"  said  Strubell,  "and  if  nothing  goes 
wrong,  we  ought  to  strike  K'ew  Mexico  in  the 
course  of  the  next  ten  days." 

Nick  laughed. 

"I  fancied  we  would  make  it  in  less  time 
than  that." 

"So  we  mought,"  remarked  Lattin,  "if 
there  was  any  call  to  hurry ;  but,  as  I  under- 
8 


34  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

stand  this  business,  we  aint  riinnin'  the  pony 
express  for  Santa  Fe  or  Rincon." 

That  night  their  cami3  was  in  a  section 
which  charmed  the  boys,  for  there  was  an  air 
of  loneliness,  and  the  danger  that  seemed  to 
be  brooding  over  the  vicinity  was  of  a  kind 
not  yet  encountered  since  entering  Texas. 

In  some  respects,  the  camp  reminded  them 
of  their  moose  hunt  in  Maine,  though  the  con- 
trast in  the  season  was  marked.  There  were 
the  hills,  rising  almost  to  the  dignity  of  moun- 
tains, the  bowlders  and  rocks,  the  stream  of 
water,  not  more  than  a  few  inches  in  width 
and  depth,  and  the  beautiful  blue  sky  over- 
head. 

The  weather  was  cooler  than  it  had  been, 
and  the  hunters  shook  their  heads,  and  hinted 
about  a  norther  that  was  liable  to  break  over 
them  before  many  hours.  There  were  no  signs 
of  Indians,  and  had  there  been,  the  aborigines 
would  have  been  held  in  no  greater  dread  than 
those  of  their  own  race.  The  party  were  so 
far  westward  that  the  arm  of  the  law  was 
weak,  and  everyone  must  depend  on  his  own 
vigilance  and  alertness. 


A   STARTLING   INTERRUPTION.  35 

"When  tlie  wood,  wliicli  was  not  over  abun- 
dant in  those  parts,  was  collected  for  the  fire 
by  which  they  intended  to  cook  the  meat 
obtained  from  a  maverick  earlier  in  the  day, 
the  horses  were  turned  loose,  and  the  four 
friends  gathered  around  the  blaze,  which  was 
kindled  in  an  open  space,  where  the  light  was 
visible  for  a  long  way  in  nearly  every  direc- 
tion. Around  this  they  sat,  and,  while  the 
men  smoked  their  pipes,  they  recalled  many  a 
thrilling  encounter  with  the  red  men  in  the 
Pan  Handle,  in  Arizona,  and  in  New  Mexico. 
Strubell  and  Lattin  were  equally  interested  in 
tJie  story  which  Nick  told  of  their  hunt  for 
the  king  of  moose  in  Maine.  That  species  of 
game  was  unfamiliar  to  them,  and  when  they 
learned  of  the  gallant  style  in  which  Herbert 
brought  down  the  big  fellow  at  the  moment 
he  was  charging  upon  his  companion,  they 
looked  upon  the  tall  youth  with  something 
like  wonder  and  admiration.  They  had  no 
idea  of  having  such  a  hero  "  in  their  midst." 

Since  it  was  necessary  that  everyone  should 
bear  a  hand  in  guarding  against  the  perils 
on    which  they  were    entering,    the    hunters 


36  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

arranged  that  the  yonths  should  regularly 
take  part  in  standing  watch  each  night. 
Their  metliod  made  it  easy  and  safe  for  all, 
since  the  watches  were  four  in  number,  each 
about  two  hours  long.  Everyone  was  able  to 
keep  awake  for  that  length  of  time,  even  while 
sitting  on  the  ground,  and  the  turns  alter- 
nated, so  as  to  equalize  the  task  all  round. 
Had  the  watches  been  longer,  the  youths,  as 
was  the  case  while  down  East,  would  have 
been  likely  to  slumber  on  their  posts. 

Arden  Strubell  was  stretched  out  on  the 
further  side  of  the  fire,  flat  on  his  back,  his 
head  resting  on  a  stone,  which  was  softened 
somewhat  by  his  hands  that  were  clasped  be- 
tween it  and  the  back  of  his  head,  with  the 
elbows  i^rojecting  like  wings  from  each  side. 
One  leg  was  partly  drawn  up,  with  the  other 
crossed  over  it,  his  position  being  the  picture 
of  indolence  and  ease.  The  pipe,  whose  stem 
was  in  the  corner  of  his  mouth,  was  only  gently 
puffed  at  long  intervals,  for  it  was  Arden' s 
turn  to  sleei)  until  eleven  o'clock.  He  was, 
therefore,  taking  no  share  in  the  conversation 
which  went   on    in   such  gentle,  murmuring 


A   STARTLING   INTERRUPTION.  37 

tones  that  it  tended  more  to  drowsiness  tlian 
wakefulness  on  his  part. 

Matters  were  in  this  form,  and  the  night  was 
progressing,  when  Lattin,  who  was  sitting 
directly  opposite  his  friend,  raised  his  hand 
for  silence,  and  said  in  a  frightened  whisper  : 

"Arden,  don't  move  or  you're  a  dead 
man ! " 

"I  know  it,"  was  the  quiet  reply  from  the 
Texan,  who  did  not  stir  a  muscle,  "but  what 
can  I  do ?    I'm  a  dead  man  anyway.' 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  TEST   OF   one's   NERVES. 

IVriCK  RIBSAM  and  Herbert  Watrous 
-i-^  could  hardly  believe  their  own  senses, 
and  for  a  second  or  two  looked  at  each  other 
and  at  the  cowboys,  to  make  sure  they  had 
heard  aright. 

The  youths  were  lolling  near  each  other, 
Nick  leaning  on  his  elbow  and  looking  in  the 
broad  face  of  Lattin,  who  just  then  was  tell- 
ing of  a  scrimmage  in  which  he  had  had 
the  closest  call  of  his  life  while  hunting  Ger- 
onimo,  while  Herbert  sat  more  erect. 

Strubell,  as  has  been  told,  was  lying  on  his 
back  on  the  other  side  of  the  camx?  fire,  his 
hands  clasped  behind  his  head,  and  resting  on 
his  stone  pillow.  His  sombrero  lay  on  his 
forehead,  in  such  a  way  that  a  part  of  the  rim 
shaded  his  eyes,  whose  view  of  the  outer  world 
was  obtained  by  gazing  down  along  the  front 
of  his  face  and  chin.     He  could  see  his  slowly 


A   TEST   OF   one's   NERVES.  39 

heaving  breast,  tlie  cartridge  belt,  and  the  one 
leg  crossed  over  the  other  and  partly  crooked 
at  the  knee.  Off  to  the  left  was  the  glowing 
camp  fire,  and,  by  turning  his  eyes  without 
moving  his  head,  he  could  trace  a  part  of  the 
figure  of  Lattin,  who  was  discoursing  for  the 
entertainment  of  his  young  friends. 

This  was  the  shape  of  matters,  when  the 
younger  cowboy  abruptly  checked  his  narra- 
tive, and,  looking  across  the  fire  at  his  com- 
panion, warned  him  not  to  move  on  the  penalty 
of  instant  death,  to  which  the  other,  without 
stirring  a  muscle  or  giving  any  evidence  of 
alarm,  calmly  replied  that  he  was  aware  of  his 
situation,  which  was  so  hopeless  that  he  con- 
sidered himself  the  same  as  dead  already. 

"Don't  move,"  added  Lattin  in  a  whisper 
to  the  boys,  "or  you  will  scare  it;  keep  on 
talking  the  same  as  before,  and  maybe  it  will 
let  him  alone." 

"What  are  you  referring  to?"  asked  the 
perplexed  Nick. 

"There's  a  tarantula  lying  on  Arden's 
breast ;  don't  you  see  it  ?  " 

The  hideous  thing  was  sitting  on  the  chest 


40  ACROSS   TEXAS, 

of  tlie  cowboy,  directly  over  liis  "heart.  Where 
it  had  come  from  no  one  could  say,  but  proba- 
bly the  warmth  of  the  fire  or  that  of  the  body 
of  the  Texan  had  drawn  it  to  the  spot,  and  it 
was  now  making  an  exploration,  on  its  own 
account,  ready  to  inflict  its  deadly  bite  on  the 
least  ^provocation. 

Strubell  was  half  asleep,  when,  looking 
along  the  front  of  his  body,  he  saw  the  out- 
lines of  the  spider  in  the  yellow  light  of  the 
camp  fire.  It  caused  a  slight  tickling  sensa- 
tion, as  it  slowly  felt  its  way  forward.  He 
knew  its  nature  the  instant  he  caught  sight  of 
it,  and  he  observed  that  it  was  of  unusual 
size  and  fierceness.  He  had  seen  a  comrade 
die  from  the  bite  of  a  tarantula,  which  is  held 
in  greater  dread  than  the  famous  rattlers  of 
Texas,  for  it  gives  no  warning  of  its  intentions, 
which  most  frequently  come  in  the  form  of  a 
nipping  bite  whose  effects  are  not  only  fatal 
but  frightfully  rapid. 

Arden  might  have  slowly  unclasped  his 
hands  and  given  the  thing  a  quick  flirt,  but 
the  chances  were  a  thousand  to  one  that,  if  he 
did  so,  it  would  bite  his  finger.     If  let  alone. 


A   TEST   OF   one's   NERVES.  41 

it  might  change  its  purpose  and  crawl  off  into 
the  darkness.  It  was  not  likely  to  injure  him 
so  long  as  it  stayed  on  the  front  of  his  shirt, 
for  it  was  hard  for  it  to  bite  through  that. 
It  preferred  the  naked  surface  of  the  body  in 
order  to  do  its  worst. 

It  could  not  very  well  bite  the  hands,  since 
they  remained  clasped  behind  the  Texan's 
head.  The  nearest  favorable  points  were  the 
neck,  where  the  shirt  was  open,  and  the  face. 
If  the  spider  crept  upward,  it  was  evident  that 
it  was  making  for  one  or  the  other,  and  there 
seemed  no  way  of  checking  it,  for  the  first 
move  on  the  part  of  any  one  of  the  friends 
would  rouse  its  anger,  and  cause  it  to  bite  the 
man  on  whose  body  it  was  resting.  All  that 
could  be  done  was  to  do  nothing,  and  pray  to 
Heaven  to  save  the  poor  fellow  from  impend- 
ing death. 

"We  mustn't  show  by  anything  we  do," 
said  Lattin,  "that  we  are  excited.  A  quick 
move — a  loud  call,  or  any  unusual  motion  may 
lead  it  to  use  its  teeth.  It's  the  biggest  and 
ugliest  tarantula  that  I  ever  laid  eyes  on,  and 
if  it  gives  Arden  one  nip,  he's  a  goner." 


42  ACKOSS   TEXAS. 

"  But  it  is  terrible  to  sit  here  and  see  liim 
die,"  said  Nick,  who  was  so  nervous  lie  found 
it  hard  to  remain  still,  while  Herbert  trembled 
as  if  with  a  chill. 

"It's  all  we  can  do,"  replied  the  Texan, 
who  nevertheless  kept  a  sharp  eye  on  the 
thing,  as  if  he  was  meditating  some  desperate 
resort  to  save  his  comrade's  life.  "  We  will 
talk  on,  as  though  nothing  has  took  place  out 
of  the  usual  run,  and  while  we're  at  it  we'll 
keep  an  eye  on  the  critter." 

"  What  good  will  it  do  to  keep  an  eye  on 
it,"  was  the  sensible  question  of  Nick,  "if  we 
do  nothing  ?" 

"Leave  that  to  me  and  don't  either  of  you 
stir.  You  know  that  we're  on  our  way  to 
look  after  a  ranch  that  Mr.  Lord  thinks  of 
buying  in  New  Mexico  ?  " 

He  paused  and  gazed  at  the  boys,  as  if  in 
doubt  whether  they  understood  the  matter. 
They  nodded  their  heads  and  he  continued : 

"George  Jennings  owns  the  ranch  and 
wants  to  move  east.  Last  year  he  had 
another  in  Arizona.  It  was  too  small  to  suit 
him,  and  he  came   over  this  way,  and  now, 


A   TEST   OF   OXE's   NERVES.  43 

as  I  said,  wants  to  get  out  of  the  bus'ness 
altogether.  You  know,  I  s'pose,  that  they 
have  warm  weather  in  Arizona  at  certain  times 
in  the  year  1 " 

Once  more  the  cowboy  checked  himself,  as 
if  he  desired  a  reply.  He  seemed  to  be  look- 
ing at  the  boys,  but  in  reality  was  watching 
the  tarantula,  which  was  motionless  on  the 
breast  of  Strubell,  as  if  he,  too,  was  debating 
what  was  best  to  do. 

"I  don't  know  of  any  part  of  the  country 
where  they  do  not  have  pretty  hot  weather  in 
the  course  of  the  year,"  said  Nick. 

*'But  Arizona  lays  over  'em  all,"  said 
Lattin,  as  if  proud  of  the  fact ;  "I've  seen  it 
day  after  day  there,  and  night,  too,  when  the 
thermometer  doesn't  get  below  a  hundred. 
Wal,  it  was  on  one  of  them  blazing  afternoons, 
that  Jennings  stretched  out  on  the  floor  in  his 
low  front  room  to  take  a  nap.  His  wife  had 
gone  to  San  Pedro  a  couple  of  days  before, 
under  the  escort  of  the  two  ranchmen  hired  by 
him,  and  he  was  looking  for  'em  back  every 

"That's  the  way  it  came  about  that  the 


44  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

father  was  left  with  his  little  gal  Mabel, 
which  was  only  six  years  old.  Jennings  loved 
that  gal  more  than  the  apple  of  his  eye, 
and  would  give  his  life  any  time  to  keep  her 
from  harm.  I  b'lieve  you've  a  little  sister, 
Nick,  that  you  think  a  good  deal  of  ?  " 

"I  have,  God  bless  her!"  replied  Nick,  as 
the  moisture  crept  in  his  ej^es  ;  "there  is 
nothing  I  would  not  do  to  save  her  from 
suffering  and  pain." 

Again,  Lattin  seemed  to  be  looking  at  the 
countenance  of  the  honest  youth,  but  in  reality 
his  eyes  were  on  the  tarantula,  and  his  right 
hand  was  moving  slowly  down  his  side  toward 
his  revolver  in  the  belt  at  his  waist. 

"That  bein'  so,  you  can  understand  how 
much  Jennings  thought  of  his  little  gal  Mabel. 
AVal,  he  was  in  the  middle  of  a  nap,  when  he 
jumped  to  his  feet  as  if  he  had  seen  a  rattler 
crawling  over  the  floor  toward  him.  The 
reason  why  he  jumped  up  so  quick  was  'cause 
he  heard  his  little  gal  scream.  He  went  out 
the  door  as  if  shot  from  the  mouth  of  a 
cannon. 

"The    sight    that  met  the    ranchman  was 


A   TEST   OF   one's   NERVES.  45 

enougti  to  set  any  father  wild.  Two  of  Ger- 
onimo's  Apaches,  each  on  a  pony,  was  gallop- 
ing off  on  a  dead  run.  One  of  them  held  Mubel 
in  his  arms,  and  the  little  gal,  at  sight  of  her 
father,  reached  out  her  arms  and  called  to 
him  to  come  and  take  her  away  from  the  bad 
Injun.  Don't  you  think  that  was  enough  to 
turn  a  father's  brain  T' 

"There  can  be  no  doubt  of  that,"  replied 
Nick,  shuddering  at  the  mental  picture  of  his 
sister  Nellie  in  such  an  awful  situation. 

Daring  the  momentary  pause,  Lattin  placed 
his  hand  on  the  butt  of  his  revolver.  The  ta- 
rantula had  not  stirred  more  than  an  inch  since 
he  was  seen,  but  that  was  in  the  direction  of 
the  Texan's  face,  and  his  peril  was  becoming 
more  imminent  than  before. 

"Be  careful,  boys,"  said  Strubell  in  his 
ordinary  tones,  "  the  creature  is  getting  ner- 
vous. He  is  now  looking  at  me,  and  is  coming 
a  little  closer  to  my  face.  Don't  try  to  brush 
or  knock  him  off:  maybe  he'll  hunt  for  some 
other  pasture,  but  the  chances  are  against  it." 

"All  right,  Ard,"  replied  Lattin  with  as- 
sumed cheerfulness  ;  "  we  see  your  fix  and  are 


46  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

prayin'  for  you.  As  I  was  sayin',  the  sight 
that  met  Jennings'  eyes,  when  he  jumped  out 
of  his  door,  was  enough  to  set  any  man  frantic. 
He  was  back  into  the  house  again,  and  out 
once  more  like  a  flash.  He  had  his  Winches- 
ter with  him  this  time,  and  brought  it  to  his 
shoulder,  but  the  Apache  that  had  his  little 
gal  was  on  the  watch  and  held  her  up  in  front, 
so  that  the  father  couldn't  fire  without  killing 
his  own  child.  So  Jennings  just  give  one 
groan  and  staggered  back  into  the  house  and 
almost  fell  on  to  the  floor. 

"The  poor  fellow  was  in  a  bad  fix.  The 
nearest  fort  was  a  hundred  miles  off,  and  it 
was  almost  as  far  to  San  Pedro.  The  two 
Apaches  had  rode  to  the  ranch  on  one  pony, 
but,  when  they  went  away,  the  one  that  didn't 
have  the  little  gal  was  on  the  back  of  Jennings' 
horse,  and,  since  his  wife  and  escort  was 
absent,  there  wasn't  a  single  critter  on  the 
place. 

"The  first  Apache  had  got  so  far  off  that 
he  was  beyond  rifle-shot  before  Jennings  was 
outdoors.  He  come  out  a  few  minutes  later, 
and,  shading  his  eyes,  looked  off  across  the 


A   TEST   OF   one's   NERVES.  47 

dusty  plain,  where  his  child  had  disappeared. 
He  thought  the  horses  which  he  seen  were 
growing  plainer.  They  were  coming  toward 
him,  and  he  didn'  t  know  what  it  meant. 

*'  For  a  while  he  didn't  stir,  but  kept  looking 
closely.  Binieby,  he  seen  there  was  but  one 
horseman  and  he  was  Sam  Ruggles,  one  of  them 
that  had  acted  as  the  escort  of  Mrs.  Jennings 
when  she  went  away.  He  was  mounted  on  his 
own  horse,  and  leading  that  of  Mrs.  Jennings, 
who  he  said  would  start  home  the  next  day. 

'"  The  country  is  so  open,'  said  Sam,  '  that 
she  thought  I  had  better  start  at  once,  so  as  to 
give  you  what  help  I  could  with  the  cattle — 
what's  the  matter,  George  1'  he  asked,  observ- 
ing the  white  face  of  his  friend. 

"'Where  did  you  get  my  horse?'  asked 
Jennings,  striving  hard  to  control  himself. 

"  'Up  near  the  ford,'  said  Sam  ;  'just  as  I 
stopped  to  let  my  pony  drink,  someone  fired 
at  me  from  the  bush,  and  I  dropped  out  the 
saddle  to  the  ground,  I  wasn't  hurt  a  bit ;  it 
was  a  dodge  of  mine  to  trick  the  redskin.  The 
next  instant,  there  was  a  whoop,  and  an 
Apache  galloped  out  of  the  bush  toward  me, 


48  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

sure  of  another  scalp.  AVal,'  added  Sam,  with 
a  grin,  'an  Apache  can  mistake,  the  same  as 
other  folks,  and  I  needn't  give  you  the  par- 
ticulars. Your  horse  seemed  to  think  he  was 
at  liberty  to  travel  home,  and  he  went  so  fast 
that  I  didn't  overhaul  him  till  about  a  mile 
out.  I  was  worried  thinkin'  something  had 
happened,  and  was  glad  enough  to  see  that 
everything  was  right.'  Now  that  was  a  big 
mistake  of  Sam,  wasn't  it  ? " 

Kick  and  Herbert  turned  toward  the  speaker, 
as  both  answered  his  odd  question,  and  ob- 
served that  he  now  held  his  revolver  in  hand. 

" Boys,"  called  poor  Strubell,  "the  tarantula 
is  creeping  toward  my  face  ;  I  guess  he  means 
to  bite;  don't  stir,  and  if  he  gets  much  closer 
I'll  make  a  sweep  at  him." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TWO   GOOD   SHOTS. 

"  "TTTAL,  then,  Jennings  tells  Sam  every- 
V  V  thing  that  had  took  place.  It  was 
wonderful  the  control  the  ranchman  showed 
over  himself.  Ilis  face  was  as  white  as  death, 
but  he  didn't  tremble,  and  talked  as  if  he  was 
speaking  about  the  cattle.  Sam  thought  that 
the  Apache,  having  the  extra  load  of  the  child 
and  dead  warrior,  would  not  be  able  to  travel 
fast,  and  there  was  a  chance  of  fetching  him 
off  his  pony,  but  Jennings  feared  there  was  a 
party  of  the  varmints  near  by,  and  that  lie 
would  jine  them. 

"  Howsumever,  you  may  be  sure  they  didn't 
lose  any  time  talking,  but  jumping  into  their 
saddles,  was  off  across  the  plain  like  a  couple 
of  whirlwinds.  The  trail  showed  that  the 
Apache,  with  the  gal  and  dead  warrior,  had 
kept  close  to  tli3  bushes  that  grew  along  the 

4  49 


50  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

stream,  wLicli  was  not  very  broaci,  and  runs 
into  the  Gila. 

"A  mile  from  the  ford  the  two  were  sur- 
prised to  come  upon  the  body  of  the  Apache 
that  had  been  tumbled  from  the  horse  by 
Sam's  Winchester.  The  other  must  have  got 
tired  of  carrying  him,  or  was  afraid  his  load 
would  get  him  into  trouble. 

"'At  any  rate,'  said  the  father,  'Mabel  is 
alive,  though  there's  no  sayin'  how  long  she 
will  stay  so.' 

"Just  then  both  catched  sight  of  the  very 
Apache  they  was  after.  He  was  coming  from 
the  bush  on  a  swift  gallop,  and  still  holding 
the  crying  child  in  front  of  him. 

"Now,  that  Apache  showed  less  cunning 
than  is  generally  showed  by  his  people,  for, 
by  thus  hanging  back,  he  gave  the  pursuers 
the  very  chance  they  wanted  to  come  up  with 
him.  Even  then  he  had  so  little  fear  that 
Jennings  and  Sam  believed  there  was  a  party 
near  at  hand,  though,  as  it  turned  out,  it 
wasn't  so. 

"As  he  come  out  of  the  bush,  he  struck 
across  the   open  plain,  with  his  pony  on  a 


TWO   GOOD   SHOTS.  61 

sliarp  gallop,  while  little  Mabel,  seeing  her 
father,  stretclied  out  her  arms  agin  toward  him 
and  begged  him  to  take  her  home. 

"  'Leave  him  to  me,"  said  Jennings,  bring- 
ing his  Winchester  to  his  shoulder.  The  red- 
skin raised  the  child  again,  but  he  was  just  a 
second  too  late,  for  he  rolled  off  his  horse  with 
a  hole  bored  through  his  skull,  as  dead  as 
dead  could  be. 

"Mabel  was  bruised  by  her  fall,  but  the 
Apache  was  killed  so  quick  that  he  hadn't  a 
chance  to  put  her  out  of  the  way,  as  he  would 
have  done  had  he  knowed  what  was  comin'. 
She  was  soon  in  her  father's  arms,  and  all 
come  out  right  as  it  does  in  the  stories." 

Despite  the  interest  in  the  incidents  related 
by  the  Texan,  the  eyes  of  all  three  were  fixed 
on  the  dreaded  tarantula,  Avhich  had  been  com- 
paratively motionless  for  some  minutes.  It 
now  began  creeping  toward  the  face  of  Stru- 
bell,  who  said  in  the  same  unwavering  voice  : 

"  He's  coming  this  time  sure  !  He  means  to 
bite,  boys,  and  it's  all  up  with  me " 

At  that  instant,  the  oppressive  stillness  was 
broken  by  the  sharp  report  of  Lattin's  revol- 


52  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

ver,  which  he  had  extracted  from  his  belt  a 
few  seconds  before.  He  levelled  and  fired  the 
weapon  with  such  marvellous  quickness  that 
his  friends  hardly  caught  tlie  movement. 

But  the  aim  was  perfect.  The  tarantula  that 
was  straddling  across  the  chest  of  the  pros- 
trate Texan,  surcharged  with  virus  and  about 
to  inflict  its  fatal  bite,  vanished  as  though  it 
had  never  been.  There  was  a  faint  whiz,  and 
it  was  gone  into  nothingness. 

Arden  Strubell  did  not  stir,  but  remained 
with  his  hands  clasped  behind  his  head  and 
every  muscle  motionless.  Then,  as  his  com- 
rade pronounced  his  name,  his  elbows  fell  and 
the  head  partly  rolled  to  one  side. 

"By  George!"  exclaimed  Lattin,  springing 
up,  "  that's  the  first  time  I  ever  seen  Ard  faint 
away." 

"I  don't  wonder  that  he  did!"  said  Nick, 
as  he  and  Herbert  also  hurried  to  his  relief. 

They  were  hardly  at  his  side  and  stooping 
over  him,  when  he  opened  his  eyes  with  a  wan 
smile,  and  said  faintly  : 

"  It  seems  to  have  been  a  little  too  much  for 
me,  boys." 


TWO   GOOD   SHOTS.  53 

But  he  quickly  rallied  and  assumed  the  sit- 
ting position. 

"I  had  just  made  up  my  mind  to  give  the 
spider  a  flirt  with  my  hat,"  he  said,  "but  the 
tarantula  is  so  quick,  I  knew  it  would  get  in 
its  work  before  I  could  brush  it  off.  If  I  had 
struck  at  it  with  my  hat  when  I  first  saw  it 
there  would  have  been  an  even  chance,  but  I 
felt  as  though  my  arms  were  made  of  iron,  and 
I  was  like  a  man  with  the  nightmare,  who  can- 
not force  his  limbs  to  move.  That  was  a  good 
shot  of  yours,  Baker." 

"I'm  rather  proud  of  it,"  replied  Lattin, 
settling  back  on  his  blanket,  "and  I  thought 
it  must  come  to  that  from  the  first,  but  I  was 
so  afraid  of  missing,  that  I  put  it  off  to  the 
last  second.  If  I  had  failed,  the  report  would 
have  started  it  into  bitin'  you  before  I  could 
give  it  a  second  shot." 

"I  wonder  whether  there  are  any  more  of 
them  around,"  said  Herbert,  glancing  furtively 
about. 

"That's  what  has  troubled  me,"  added 
Nick. 

"I  don't    think    any  more    of    them   will 


54  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

bother  us,"  remarked  Strubell,  quick  to 
recover  from  liis  fright;  "we  must  expect 
these  little  annoyances  in  this  part  of  the 
world." 

"Yes,"  observed  Lattin,  "when  you  find 
such  a  fine  climate  as  we  have,  and  everything 
else  just  right  to  make  you  the  happiest  chap 
in  the  United  States,  which  means  the  happiest 
in  the  world,  you  oughter  be  willing  to  pay 
for  it." 

"Well,"  said  Nick,  who,  now  that  the 
oppressive  burden  was  lifted,  could  smile  at 
the  conceits  of  his  friends,  "  wdien  we  come  to 
add  the  sum  total,  it  will  be  found  pretty  much 
the  same  the  world  over.  It  seems  to  me, 
after  the  fright  we  have  all  had,  that  none  of 
us  will  be  able  to  sleep." 

"What  time  is  it?"  asked  Strubell.  Nick 
looked  at  his  watch,  and  replied  that  it  was 
near  eleven  o'clock. 

The  Texan  gathered  the  folds  of  his  blanket 
around  him,  turned  on  his  side,  and  within 
five  minutes  was  asleep.  The  youths  were 
amazed,  but,  as  Lattin  remarked,  it  was  all 
easy  enough  when  you  became  used  to  it. 


TWO   GOOD   SHOTS.  55 

It  was  the  place  of  Herbert  to  watch  over  the 
camp  from  eleven  until  one  o'clock,  at  which 
hour  Nick  would  take  his  turn,  Lattin  and 
Strubell  following  in  turn.  The  former  will- 
ingly kept  company  with  the  boys  while  they 
discussed  the  startling  occurrence  early  in  the 
evening.  By  and  by,  however,  the  Texan  be- 
came drowsy,  and,  bidding  his  young  friends 
good-night,  he  too  gathered  his  thick  blanket 
about  his  muscular  form,  and  joined  his  com- 
rade in  the  land  of  dreams. 

When  Herbert  took  out  his  handsome  watch 
to  wind  it,  he  leaned  forward,  so  that  the 
light  from  the  fire  fell  upon  its  face.  It  hap- 
l^ened  that  both  hands  were  exactly  together 
at  the  figure  twelve,  so  that  it  was  midnight 
and  his  duty  was  half  over. 

He  looked  round  at  the  impressive  scene. 
The  fire  was  burning  cheerily,  though  with  the 
help  of  their  thick,  serviceable  blankets  the 
warmth  was  not  needed.  The  horses  were 
lying  down,  or  cropping  the  grass,  which  was 
not  very  abundant  in  the  immediate  vicinity, 
and  were  too  far  off  in  the  gloom  to  be  seen. 
Each  of  his  friends  was  so  swathed  that  he  re- 


56  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

serabled  a  log  of  wood  when  viewed  from  a 
short  distance.  The  feet  of  all  were  turned 
toward  the  blaze,  that  being  the  general  rule 
when  sleeping  in  camp.  The  saddles,  rifles,  and 
extra  luggage  were  loosely  piled  at  one  side, 
and  Herbert,  who  was  always  inclined  to  be 
pressed  down  by  his  responsibility  at  such  a 
time,  could  not  help  reflecting  how  completely 
a  party  of  Indians  or  outlaws  could  place  the 
hunters  at  their  mercy  by  a  sudden  dash  from 
the  gloom. 

Bat  that  kind  of  danger  was  not  thought 
of  by  either  of  the  Texans,  who  were  not 
riding  though  this  section  for  the  first 
time. 

It  was  only  a  few  minutes  later  that  Herbert 
heard  one  of  the  horses  emit  a  slight  whinny, 
as  if  something  had  disturbed  him.  The  youth 
peered  in  the  direction  whence  it  came,  but 
there  was  no  moon  and  he  discerned  noth- 
ing. 

"  I  wonder  what  it  is,"  he  said,  pressing  his 
Winchester  to  make  sure  it  was  actually  within 
his  grasp  ;  "  it  may  be  another  tarantula,  a  rat- 
tlesnake, a  bear,  or  some  other  wild  animal  or 


TWO   GOOD   SHOTS.  57 

wild  person  trying  to  steal  into  camp  without 
alarming  us/' 

One  of  tlie  other  ponies  snuffed  the  air,  trie 
noise  being  as  distinct  in  tlie  stillness  as  was 
the  sound  of  his   watch   when   he  wound  it. 

Herbert  would  not  have  been  blamed  had  he 
awakened  Strubell  or  Lattin,  but  he  decided 
to  wait  before  doing  so.  There  was  barely 
a  possibility  of  peril  from  Indians  or  white 
men,  and  he  considered  himself  able  to  meet 
any  other  kind. 

The  air,  that  had  been  oppressively  still, 
was  stirred  by  a  breath  which  brought  to  him 
a  peculiar  sound.  It  lasted  only  a  moment, 
and  resembled  the  faint  tapping  of  myriads  of 
hammers  on  the  earth — so  numerous  indeed 
that  he  suspected  its  meaning. 

Applying  his  ear  to  the  ground,  he  caught 
it  with  greater  distinctness.  It  was  as  he  sup- 
posed :  an  immense  nnniber  of  cattle  were 
galloping  over  the  plain,  beyond  the  hills. 
They  might  be  on  their  way  to  water  or  had 
been  startled  by  some  trivial  cause,  which  often 
stampedes  a  drove  that  numbers  thousands. 

"Now  if  I  find  they  are  coming  this  way," 


58  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

thought  tlie  youth,  "I  will  wake  Strubell. 
They  wouldn't  be  likely  to  enter  the  hills  and 
run  over  this  fire,  but  they  might  make  trouble 
for  our  ponies." 

At  intervals  of  a  few  minutes  he  pressed 
his  ear  to  the  earth  as  before,  and  listened 
closely.  The  second  time  he  did  so  he  was 
certain  the  peculiar  sounds  were  more  dis- 
tinct ;  but,  waiting  a  brief  while,  he  tried 
it  again,  and  concluded  they  were  neither 
louder  nor  fainter. 

"  They  can't  be  standing  still,"  was  his  logi- 
cal conclusion,  "and  must  soon  come  nearer 
or  go  further  off." 

Only  a  few  minutes  were  required  to  settle 
the  question:  the  cattle  w^ere  receding,  and 
doing  so  wdth  such  rapidity,  that,  much  sooner 
than  would  have  been  suspected,  the  sounds 
had  died  out  altogether. 


CHAPTER  YII. 

AN  INTRUDER  IN   CAMP. 

THE  minutes  pass  slowly  at  such  times, 
and,  though  Herbert's  duty  lasted  only 
two  hours,  they  seemed  double  the  length  of 
that  period  during  the  day,  or  when  his  com- 
panions were  awake. 

The  listening  ear  caught  no  further  sounds 
of  the  multitudinous  feet,  and  he  dismissed 
the  matter  from  his  mind.  The  still  air  now 
and  then  was  moved  by^vhat  seemed  a  slight 
breeze,  or  eddy  of  wind,  but  it  was  barel}^  suf- 
ficient to  stir  the  blaze.  Once  he  heard  the 
report  of  a  gun,  startlingly  distinct,  though  he 
knew  it  might  have  been  fired  fully  a  mile 
away. 

"  We  are  not  the  only  people  in  this  part  of 
the  world,"  he  mused,  giving  expression  to  his 
reveries  ;  "  and  that  shot  may  have  ended  the 
life  of  some  iierson." 

It  was  a  disturbing  thought,  and,  as  if  to 

59 


60  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

drive  off  the  oppressiveness  that  was  weighing 
him  down,  he  rose  to  liis  feet  and  threw  more 
sticks  on  the  flames.  His  watch  showed  that 
it  was  only  half -past  twelve.  He  held  tlie 
time-piece  to  his  ear,  snsx^ecting  that  it  had 
stopped  running ;  but  the  familiar  ticking  was 
audible,  and  a  glance  at  the  tiny  second-hand 
showed  that  it  was  really  moving,  though  it 
never  seemed  to  creep  so  tardily  around  the 
little  circle. 

Then  he  watched  the  indicator  as  it  marked 
its  course,  and  resorted  to  the  many  artifices 
that  occur  to  those  who  find  time  diagging 
wearily  on  their  hands.  No  hour  ever  seemed 
longer  than  was  required  for  the  watch  to 
show  that  a  fourth  of  that  time  had  jiassed 
forever. 

"But  it  will  be  worse  for  Nick,"  he  con- 
cluded ;  "I  think  his  task  more  wearisome 
than  mine.  We  have  all  to  take  our  share, 
however,  as  I  suppose  everyone  must  in  the 
good  and  bad  of  life." 

Herbert  waited  till  the  full  time  was  up, 
and  several  minutes  over,  when  he  stepped  to 
where  Nick  was  lying,  and  gently  shook  his 


AN   INTRUDER   IN   CAMP.  Gl 

shoulder.     He  awoke  readih',  prepared  to  act 
his  part  as  sentinel  for  the  next  two  hours. 

The  elder  told  his  friend  what  had  occurred, 
adding  that  he  discovered  nothing  else  to  dis- 
turb him.  Then  bidding  him  good-night,  he 
wrapped  himself  in  his  own  blanket  and  lay 
down  with  his  feet  toward  the  fire,  falling 
asleep  almost  as  quickly  as  had  the  cowboys 
before  him, 

Nick  examined  his  rifle  and  saw  it  was 
ready  for  instant  service,  as  was  his  pistol, 
with  which  he  had  practised  until  quite  ex- 
pert in  its  use.  lie  sat  down  just  beyond  the 
circle  of  illumination  thrown  out  by  the  blaze, 
for,  somehow  or  other,  it  alwaj^s  seemed  to 
him  that  such  a  course  was  not  only  safer,  but 
that  he  could  maintain  more  effective  watch 
by  doing  so.  He  was  able  to  see  every  one  of 
his  friends,  while  a  prowler  was  not  likely  to 
observe  him,  unless  his  approach  to  camp  was 
such  as  to  place  the  guardsman  between  him 
and  the  blaze.  In  that  event,  he  was  quite 
sure  to  notice  his  outlines  against  the  fire. 

That  this  was  a  wise  proceeding  was  proven 
by  what  followed. 


62  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

He  had  been  on  duty  for  a  half  hour  or 
more  when  he  was  disturbed  by  the  same 
cause  that  startled  Herbert.  One  of  the 
horses  uttered  a  slight  neigh,  giving  no  other 
evidence  of  alarm,  if  that  was  the  meaning  of 
the  sound. 

At  this  moment  Nick  was  well  back,  on  the 
opposite  of  the  camp  from  the  animals.  He 
was  therefore  confident  that  if  anything 
threatened  them,  he  himself  was  invisible  to 
whatever  it  might  be. 

After  listening  a  few  minutes,  he  decided  to 
investigate  for  himself.  This  he  did,  not  by 
proceeding  in  a  direct  line,  as  he  could  have 
done,  but  by  making  a  circle  which  took  him 
beyond  the  light  of  the  fire  until  nigh  enough 
to  observe  the  animals. 

They  were  on  the  ground,  as  though  they 
had  cropped  their  fill,  and  now  enjoyed  rest 
more  than  food.  They  appeared  to  be  repos- 
ing quietly,  and  he  concluded  that  the  slight 
noise  which  he  had  noticed  signified  nothing. 
Horses  and  other  domestic  animals  often  start 
in  their  sleep,  as  though  disturbed  by 
dreams,  the  same  as   do  we,  and  that  which 


AN   INTRUDER   IN   CAMP.  (53 

Nick  heard  may  have  been  evidence  of  the 
fact. 

Still,  it  is  also  a  truth  that  men,  when  in 
situations  of  peril,  frequently  find  it  safer  to 
rely  more  on  the  acuteness  of  their  horse  than 
iilDon  their  own  vigilance.  The  animal  seems 
to  have  his  senses  sharpened  to  the  finest 
point,  for  his  master's  good. 

"I  guess  there's  nothing  wrong,"  said  Nick 
to  himself,  after  inspecting  the  ponies;  "but 
it  is  best  to  act  as  though  danger  always 
threatens.  That's  what  Strubell  and  Lattin 
say,  and  everyone  must  see  its  logic." 

The  fire  was  now  burning  so  low  that  he 
gathered  np  a  lot  of  wood  and  threw  it  on  the 
flames.  While  thus  employed,  his  gun  lay  on 
the  ground  near  the  feet  of  Herbert.  The 
thought  that,  if  any  hostile  prowler  was  near, 
it  was  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  pick 
him  off,  caused  a  strange  feeling  to  come  over 
the  youthful  sentinel,  and  his  relief  was  great 
when  able  to  catch  up  his  gun  and  slip  back 
in  the  protecting  gloom  of  the  night. 

He  had  taken  occasion,  while  near  the  fire, 
to  glance  at  his  watch,  and,  like  his  companion, 


64  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

was  astonislied  to  learn  how  brief  the  time  was 
that  he  had  been  on  duty.  It  was  less  than 
half  an  hour. 

About  the  same  period  passed  without  the 
most  trifling  alarm.  Nick  studiously  held 
himself  in  the  background,  where  he  moved 
slowly  about,  dreading  to  sit  down,  though 
often  tempted  to  do  so.  He  knew  that  so  long 
as  he  kept  the  erect  posture  his  senses  would 
be  at  command,  and  it  was  far  easier  to  do  this 
by  motion,  no  matter  how  slight,  than  by 
standing  still. 

He  had  reached  the  conclusion  that  the 
night  was  to  be  as  uneventful  as  those  that  had 
preceded  it,  when  once  more  one  of  the  ponies 
uttered  the  same  sound  that  had  disturbed  him 
before.  Nick  was  startled,  for  the  belief 
flashed  upon  him  that  this  signified  something. 
There  must  be  some  cause  for  the  alarm  of  the 
animals,  outside  of  themselves. 

He  reflected  for  a  minute  upon  the  most 
prudent  thing  to  do.  He  dismissed  the  thought 
of  awaking  the  Texans,  for,  like  Herbert,  he 
shrank  from  asking  their  help  until  certain  it 
was  needed,  for,  by  so  doing,  he  confessed  his 


AN   INTRUDER   IN   CAMP.  65 

own  inability  to  meet  the  danger,  whatever  it 
might  be. 

He  now  determined  to  make  a  much  larger 
circuit  than  before,  his  object  being  to  bring 
the  horses  between  him  and  the  fire.  This 
would  not  only  show  the  animals,  but  was 
likely  to  reveal  the  disturbing  cause.  At  the 
same  time,  Nick  himself  could  remain  in  the 
gloom,  where  it  was  hardly  possible  to  be  seen. 
The  moon,  which  might  have  interfered  with 
the  success  of  this  plan,  would  not  be  above 
the  horizon  for  several  hours  to  come. 

In  order  to  traverse  the  distance  he  had  in 
mind,  he  was  forced  to  move  around  several 
large  rocks  and  bowlders,  cross  the  small 
stream  w^hich  flowed  near  the  camp,  and  pick 
his  way  with  the  utmost  care.  Stillness  was 
necessary  above  all  things. 

The  darkness,  while  favorable  in  many 
respects,  had  its  disadvantages,  as  was  quickly 
proven.  At  the  moment  when  he  believed  he 
was  opposite  the  ponies,  and,  therefore,  near 
them,  he  stepped  upon  a  rolling  stone,  and 
despite  his  expertness,  fell  with  a  thump  to 
the  ground. 


66  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

He  was  impatient  with  himself,  and  could 
hardly  repress  an  angry  exclamation,  for  a 
snuff  from  one  of  the  animals  showed  how 
alert  they  were  to  the  slightest  disturbance. 

"The  next  thing  to  be  done,"  reflected  Nick, 
*'  is  to  shoot  off  my  rifle  ;  then  the  job  will  be 
in  fine  shape." 

But,  so  far  as  he  could  judge,  no  harm  had 
been  done,  and  he  pressed  on  with  greater  care 
than  before.  It  took  considerable  time  to 
reach  the  desired  i)oint,  but  it  was  attained  at 
last.  The  horses  were  in  a  direct  line  with  the 
camj)  fire,  and  he  began  stealing  toward  them. 

This  was  the  time  for  extreme  caution,  for,  if 
the  least  noise  betrayed  him,  all  chance  of  suc- 
cess would  be  destroyed.  It  may  be  doubted, 
however,  whether  either  of  the  Texans  himself 
could  have  carried  out  the  plan  more  skilfully 
than  did  Nick  Ribsam. 

When  he  halted,  he  was  not  fifty  feet  from 
his  own  animal,  and  had  approached  him  so 
silently  that  no  one  of  the  ponies  was  dis- 
turbed.    They  were  silent,  as  if  asleep. 

But  at  the  moment  when  Nick  was  motion- 
less and  carefully  studying  the  dark  figures, 


AN   INTRUDER  IN   CAMP.  67 

whose  upper  parts  were  shown  against  the 
background  of  the  fire,  he  saw  one  of  the  ani- 
mals raise  his  head  higher  than  the  others  and 
emit  a  snuff,  louder  than  ever. 

"It  coukln't  be  that  I  caused  that,"  was  the 
decision  of  Nick,  who  was  in  a  crouching  pos- 
ture ;  "it's  something  else  that  alarmed  them, 
and,  whatever  it  is,  it  is  closer  to  them  than  I 
am." 

He  was  right,  for  hardly  had  he  begun  creep- 
ing forward,  when  the  head  and  shoulders  of  a 
man  slowly  rose  between  him  and  the  horses, 
and  in  a  direct  line  with  the  camp  fire,  which 
revealed  the  upper  part  of  his  body  as  dis- 
tinctly as  if  stamped  with  ink  against  the 
yellow  background  of  fiame. 

"It's  a  white  man,"  was  Nick's  conclusion, 
"and  he  is  there  for  no  good." 

The  presence  of  the  intruder  now  helped  the 
youth  in  his  hurried  but  stealthy  approach  ; 
for,  when  the  horses  showed  additional  excite- 
ment, perhaps,  at  the  coming  of  a  second  per- 
son, the  stranger  would  believe  it  was  caused 
wholly  by  himself.  Apprehending  no  ap- 
proach, too,  from  the  rear,  he  would  give  no 


68  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

attention  to  that  direction,  but  keep  his  eye  on 
the  camp  to  be  ready  for  any  demonstration 
from  that  quarter. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  he  saw  Nick  when 
he  withdrew  beyond  the  light,  but  he  had  no 
reason  to  suspect  he  had  flanked  him  and 
passed  round  to  the  other  side. 

It  took  the  sentinel  but  a  few  more  minutes 
to  satisfy  himself  of  the  errand  of  the  intruder. 
Nick's  own  pony  was  approached  and  obliged 
to  rise  to  his  feet.  The  stranger  was  a  horse 
thief,  making  a  stealthy  raid  upon  the  camp, 
while  all  the  campers  but  one  were  asleep. 

Taking  the  head  of  Nick's  horse,  he  was  in 
the  act  of  flinging  himself  upon  his  bare  back, 
when  the  youth  stepped  forward  in  the  gloom 
and  called  out : 

"  Hands  up,  quicker  tlian  ligMning  !  " 

Nick  imitated  as  nearly  as  he  could  the 
voice  and  manner  of  one  of  the  Texans  when 
making  a  similar  startling  demand. 


CEAPTER  YIII. 

BELL    KICKAED. 

"TVTICK  RIBSAM  had  no  wish  to  figure  as  a 
-L>  rough  border  character,  who  ordered  his 
captive  to  "  throw  up  his  hands,"  when  able 
to  secure  "  the  drop  on  him  " ;  but  the  youth 
had  the  native  shrewdness  to  suit  himself  to 
the  situation.  He  and  Herbert  had  been  in 
the  Lone  Star  State  long  enough  to  pick  up  a 
good  deal  of  information. 

When  he  discovered  the  stranger  among  the 
horses,  there  could  be  hardly  a  doubt  of  his 
business,  but  he  waited  till  he  was  in  the  act 
of  riding  off  with  his  own  horse  before  he 
called  out  the  startling  words  which  told  the 
thief  he  was  caught. 

A  man  who  is  used  to  getting  the  dro])  on 
others  is  quite  sure  to  know  when  that  little 
point  is  made  on  him.  The  intruder  was  on 
the  point  of  leaping  upon  the  back  of  Nick's 

C9 


70  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

pony,  but  cliecked  liimself  and  promiDtly 
readied  both  hands  upward. 

"You've  got  the  drop  on  me,  pard,  this 
time,  but  go  easy,"  said  he  in  a  voice  as 
cheery  as  if  he  were  talking  about  the 
weather. 

"Face  toward  the  fire,  walk  straight  for- 
ward and  don't  stop,  turn  round,  or  try  any- 
thing till  you  get  the  word  from  me." 

All  this  time,  the  thief  was  striving  to  gain 
a  sight  of  the  individual  who  held  him  at  his 
mercy.  It  was  evident  he  did  not  recognize 
the  voice,  and  there  may  have  been  something 
in  Nick's  tones  which  led  him  to  think  he  was 
not  a  full  grown  man.  He  was  standing  erect, 
with  his  Winchester  levelled,  and  nothing 
in  the  world  was  easier  than  for  him  to  send  a 
bullet  through  his  body. 

Border  law  never  would  have  questioned  the 
act :  rather  it  would  have  blamed  him  for 
showing  mercy.  But  Nick  Ribsam,  like  every 
right-thinking  person,  looked  upon  the  taking 
of  human  life  in  its  true  light,  and  as  never 
right  unless  to  save  his  own.  The  man  before 
Mm  was  trying  to  steal  his  property,  but  noth- 


BELL   RICKAliD.  71 

ing  more.  No  doubt  he  would  have  been  quick 
to  slioot  Nick  if  their  situations  were  reversed, 
but  this  could  not  affect  the  views  of  the 
youth.  As  yet  he  had  no  right  to  harm 
him. 

Nick  assumed  a  ferocity  that  he  was  far 
from  feeling.  He  was  playing  a  part,  and  do- 
ing it  well. 

When  the  thief  heard  the  command,  he 
hesitated,  as  if  unwilling  to  obey  it. 

"  I  guess  you  hadn't  better  insist  on  that'' 
he  said,  with  a  half  laugh,  full  of  significance. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  sir  ?  " 

"  If  you  start  to  f oiler  me  to  the  camp,  my 
pard,  just  behind  you,  will  give  it  to  you  in 
the  neck." 

This  was  alarming,  and  for  a  moment  Nick 
was  in  doubt  what  to  do.  If  he  should  start 
to  drive  the  horse  thief  before  him,  only  to 
find  that  his  armed  companion  was  doing  the 
same  with  him,  the  tables  would  be  turned  in 
the  highest  style  of  the  art. 

But  the  youth's  brightness  came  to  his  aid. 
He  knew  that  if  this  man  had  a  comrade  in 
his   wrong  doing,  he  would  have   put  in  an 


72  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

appearance  before  matters  had  reached  tliis 
interesting  stage :  he  never  would  have 
remained  in  the  background,  while  Nick  was 
securing  the  drop  on  the  other. 

He  had  no  one  with  him.  He  was  alone,  and 
was  trying  a  trick  on  his  captor. 

"Walk  on,"  said  Nick;  "when  your 
partner  shows  up,  we'll  attend  to  Ms  case." 

The  rogue  saw  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and, 
without  another  word  of  protest,  walked  sul- 
lenly in  the  direction  of  the  camp  fire. 

The  prisoner  seemed  to  have  concluded  that, 
inasmuch  as  he  had  to  submit,  his  true  plan 
was  to  do  so  gracefully.  He  walked  with  a 
certain  dignity  along  the  line  pointed  out, 
while  Nick  kept  a  few  paces  to  the  rear,  with 
his  Winchester  ready  for  instant  call. 

It  was  the  first  time  he  was  ever  placed  in 
such  a  situation,  and,  as  may  be  supposed,  his 
emotions  Avere  peculiar.  As  the  figure  in 
front  grew  more  distinct  in  the  light  of  the 
camp  fire,  he  saw  that  he  was  of  unusual  size, 
being  at  at  least  six  feet  tall,  long-limbed,  and 
thin  of  frame.  There  could  be  no  doubt  he 
was  fully  armed,  with  the  exception  of  a  rifle. 


BELL   RICKARD.  73 

wliich,  for  some  reason  or  other,  was  absent. 
He  bad  probably  left  it  near  by,  in  order  that 
nothing  might  hinder  the  best  use  of  his  arms 
while  committing  his  crime. 

Nick  cleverly  shortened  the  sx)ace  separating 
them,  for  he  was  afraid  of  some  trick  on  the 
part  of  his  captive.  The  scamp  might  open  on 
the  sleeping  cowboys  and  riddle  them  before 
he  could  prevent.  But  such  fears  were  cause- 
less. A  course  of  that  kind,  as  he  himself 
well  knew,  would  insure  his  instant  death  at 
the  hands  of  his  captor.  It  would  have  been 
more  reasonable  had  he  turned  like  a  ilash, 
when  in  the  partial  gloom,  and  let  fly  at  Nick, 
instead  of  pointing  both  hands  at  the  stars 
with  such  readiness  when  ordered  so  to  do. 

Had  the  fellow  known  what  he  learned  a  few 
minutes  later,  he  would  have  done  that  very 
thing,  and  with  almost  certain  success  ;  for  his 
revolver  could  have  been  drawn  and  fired 
before  the  youth  would  have  suspected  what 
was  going  on. 

At  the  moment  the  stranger  came  into  full 
view,  near  the  fire  and  the  sleepers,  his  captor 
called : 


74  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

''Halt!  that  will  do  !  " 

To  Nick's  astonishment  he  saw  two  figures 
rise  like  shadows  from  the  ground.  They  were 
Strubell  and  Lattin,  who,  flinging  off  their 
blankets,  stood  each  with  revolver  in  hand, 
ready  for  business.  In  fact,  the  loud  call  of 
Nick  was  meant  to  awaken  one  or  both  of 
them,  for  matters  were  assuming  that  shape 
that  the  young  man  felt  he  must  have  their 
help  at  once. 

His  loud  summons,  however,  was  unneces- 
sary, for  the  words  which  had  already  passed 
between  the  •  captor  and  his  prisoner  had 
brought  them  to  their  senses.  Men  like  them 
are  light  sleepers,  and  they  were  quick  to  dis- 
cover what  was  going  on.  More  than  that, 
they  recognized  the  voice  of  the  intruder  as 
that  of  Bell  Richard,  one  of  the  most  desperate 
horse  thieves  in  the  Southwest. 

Had  the  fellow  tried  the  trick  on  Nick,  the 
Texans  held  themselves  prepared  to  bound  into 
the  affray,  and  rush  it  to  a  conclusion  like 
a  cyclone,  but  the  words  they  overheard  gave 
them  a  clue  to  what  was  going  on.  They  saw 
that  the  great  connoisseur  in  horse  flesh  had 


BELL   RICKARD.  75 

put  his  foot  in  it  in  the  worst  kind  of  a  way. 
He  was  in  the  power  of  a  boy,  who  had  actually 
made  him  a  prisoner — a  feat  which  the  sheriffs 
of  half  a  dozen  counties  had  been  trying  for 
months  in  vain  to  do. 

They  hardly  expected  Xick  to  bring  him 
into  camp  without  trouble  ;  and  though  Stru- 
bell  and  Lattin  lay  motionless  on  the  ground, 
listening  and  awaiting  events,  they  had  loos- 
ened their  blankets,  drawn  their  weapons,  and 
were  on  the  alert. 

But  the  great  Rickard,  at  the  moment  of 
halting,  found  himself  face  to  face  with  the 
two  cowboj's,  whom  he  had  known  well  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  with  whom  he  had  exchanged 
more  than  one  shot,  each  fired  with  the  intent 
to  kill. 

"  Howdy,  Bell  ? "  said  Strubell,  with  a  smile 
on  his  handsome  face  which  had  a  world  of 
meaning  ;  "  I  hope  you  feel  well,  pard," 

"Tollyble,  thank  you,"  replied  the  rogue, 
extending  his  hand  to  each  of  the  cowboys  in 
turn  ;  "  how  is  it  with  you  ? " 

Lattin  answered  for  both  that  they  were 
well,  and  then  invited  the  new  arrival  to  a  seat 


76  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

by  tlie  fire.  E-ickard  returned  thanks  as  court- 
eously as  if  he  were  receiving  the  greatest 
favor  that  could  be  granted  him. 

The  next  moment  the  three  were  lolling  side 
by  side,  as  smiling  and  seemingly  on  as  good 
terms  as  though  they  were  brothers.  Bell  car- 
ried his  brierwood  with  him,  and  Strubell 
passed  him  his  little  sack  of  tobacco,  from 
which  he  helped  himself,  the  party  mingling 
their  smoke,  smiling  and  even  laughing  at  the 
jocose  remarks  that  were  passed. 

Herbert  Watrous  slept  on,  undisturbed  by 
the  noise,  while  Nick  Ribsam  stood  in  the 
background,  viewing  the  scene,  which  im- 
pressed him  as  the  most  extraordinary  he  had 
ever  witnessed. 

"  Let  me  see,"  said  Lattin  reflectively,  "it's 
several  months  since  we  last  met :  do  you 
remember  where  it  was  ? " 

"I  think,"  replied  Rickard,  looking  thought- 
fully at  the  stars,  as  if  busy  with  memory, 
"that  it  was  in  Laredo,  at  Brown's  place." 

"  You're  right,"  struck  in  the  cowboy;  "we 
had  a  shooting  scrap,  and  I  came  near  passing 
in  my  checks." 


BELL   RICKAKD.  77 

"  Yes,"  laughed  Bell,  "  I  tliouglit  I  had  you 
that  time,  but  I  tired  too  quick  ;  the  lights 
went  out,  and  then  the  room  was  full  of  smoke 
and  bullets.  When  things  cleared  up,  you 
wasn't  there." 

"No,"  said  Lattin,  "you  folks  were  too 
thick  for  me,  and  I  lit  out ;  I  swum  the  Rio 
Grande,  just  as  Ben  Thompson  did  when  he 
got  catched  in  the  same  place  and  in  the  same 
way.  He  got  off  without  a  scratch,  as  he  did 
hundreds  of  times  before,  only  to  catch  it  at 
Santone  at  last,  as  he  was  bound  to  do  sooner 
or  later." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DEPAETUEE   OF  THE  GUEST. 

"  IT)  EN  and  me  done  travelled  a  good  deal 
I  ■)  together,"  said  Rickard,  with  a  faint 
sigh ;  ''he  was  the  quickest  chap  on  the  shoot 
I  ever  met ;  I  never  knowed  him  to  miss  when 
he  had  any  show  at  all,  and  he  was  the 
luckiest  fellow  that  ever  walked.  Do  you 
know  what  Ben's  rule  was?"  asked  Rickard, 
turning  toward  the  cowboys,  as  if  about  to 
impart  a  j)iece  of  delightful  news. 

"  It  was  to  shoot  whenever  he  had  the 
slightest  excuse,"  replied  Strubell,  who  evi- 
dently had  little  respect  for  one  of  the  most 
famous  characters  that  Texas  ever  brought  to 
the  surface. 

"  Whenever  he  got  into  a  shooting  scrap  he 
always  let  the  other  cliap  fire  first ;  for  then, 
when  Tie  let  fly,  he  had  a  good  case  of  self- 
defence.  He  always  done  that,  as  he  told  me 
himself." 

78 


DEPARTURE   OF  THE   GUEST.  19 

I  may  be  allowed  to  say  that  this  remark 
about  Ben  Thompson,  once  City  Marshal  of 
Austin,  was  true.  He  informed  me  that  he  had 
followed  the  rule  for  years,  and  it  doubtless 
helped  to  secure  his  acquittal  in  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  cases  where  he  was  tried  for  slaying 
others,  though  the  shameful  admiration  shown 
him  by  all  classes  had  much  to  do  with  his 
immunity  from  legal  punishment.  As  has 
been  hinted,  however,  there  came  a  time  wiien 
Ben's  rule  failed  to  work  satisfactorily  for 
himself.  It  was  down  in  San  Antonio,  the 
scene  of  more  than  one  of  his  crimes,  that  a 
half  dozen  men  worked  in  a  volley  from  their 
AYinchesters  ahead  of  Ben's  revolver,  and  he 
died  with  his  boots  on,  the  last  shot  which  he 
fired  before  breathing  his  last  causing  the 
death  of  one  of  his  assailants. 

It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  give  the  conver- 
sation which  went  on  by  the  camp  fire  for 
fully  two  hours,  for  it  was  not  of  a  character 
that  can  be  commended  to  readers.  There 
were  stirring  reminiscences  of  those  "bad 
men,"  known  a  few  years  ago  respectively  as 
Bill    Longley  and  John    Wesley  Hardin.     I 


80  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

suppose  tliat  Texas  never  produced  two  more 
desperate  men.  When  I  saw  Longley,  lie  was 
as  handsome  a  person  as  I  ever  met,  and 
proved  to  be  one  of  the  few  legally  hanged 
individuals  in  the  Lone  Star  State,  his  taking 
off  occurring  some  years  ago  in  Galveston. 

Hardin  was  more  ill-favored,  as  to  personal 
appearance.  He  was  the  son  of  a  preacher, 
and  was  named  for  one  of  the  great  founders 
of  Methodism.  When  I  last  talked  with  the 
stumpy,  broad-faced  desperado  he  was  in  the 
Austin  i^enitentiary,  serving  a  twenty-five 
years'  sentence  for  horse  stealing,  the  numer- 
ous capital  crimes  he  had  committed  not  being 
taken  into  account. 

The  point  I  am  making  is  that  Bell  Rickard, 
who,  in  his  way,  was  as  evil  a  man  as  any  one 
of  those  whom  I  have  named,  having  entered 
the  camp  as  a  i:)risoner,  was  treated  as  a  guest. 
No  one  unacquainted  with  the  circumstances 
would  have  suspected  there  was  any  feeling 
other  than  the  strongest  friendship  between 
them. 

They  recalled  the  numerous  stirring  scrim- 
mages  in  which   they  had  taken  part,  and 


DEPARTURE   OF   THE   GUEST.  81 

generally  with  Strubell  and  Lattin  as  the 
deadly  enemies  of  Rickard  and  his  friends. 
They  laughed  over  the  many  close  calls,  when 
their  mutual  escapes  seemed  to  turn  on  a  hair, 
and  even  referred  to  those  that  were  likely  to 
occur  again  in  the  near  future. 

Nick  Ribsani  grew  so  interested  that  he  for- 
got his  duty  as  sentinel,  and,  leaning  on  his 
gun,  stared  with  open  mouth  at  the  attenuated 
Texan,  with  his  scraggly  beard,  restless  gray 
eyes,  and  alert  movements,  as  he  smoked  and 
laughed  and  talked. 

Suddenly  Strubell  turned  to  the  youth  and 
said : 

"Nick,  I  guess  you  had  better  take  a  look 
at  the  animals  ;  Bell  may  have  some  friends 
around  ;  if  you  get  sight  of  any,  don't  bother 
to  ask  questions,  but  drop  them  at  the  first 
shot." 

Rickard  stopped  in  the  middle  of  a  remark 
he  was  making,  and  looked  at  the  young  man 
with  a  smile.  Then  he  resumed  his  words, 
and  the  conversation  went  on  as  before.  Nick 
walked  slowly  out  to  where  the  ponies  were 
lying  on  the  ground,  wondering  and  x^uzzled 
6 


82  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

by  tlie  new  phase  of  southwestern  life  as  he 
saw  it  for  the  first  time. 

"  Wal,"  said  Rickard,  after  talking  a  while 
longer,  as  he  rose  to  his  feet,  stretched  his 
limbs,  and  yawned,  "I  guess  I'll  have  to  be 
going,  pards.     By-by." 

"  By-by,"  returned  Strubell  and  Lattin,  the 
latter  adding : 

"Take  good  care  of  yourself,  Bell,  till  we 
meet  again." 

"The  same  to  you,"  he  returned,  moving 
off  in  the  darkness  at  a  leisurely  gait,  which 
showed  that  personal  danger  was  the  last 
thought  that  entered  his  mind. 

Nick  Ribsam,  who  was  still  standing  near 
the  animals,  saw  the  tall  figure,  with  slightly 
stooping  shoulders,  approaching. 

"Helloa,  younker,  where  are  you?"  he 
asked,  coming  to  a  halt  and  peering  round  in 
the  gloom,  his  opportunity  for  seeing  the 
youth  being  less  favorable  than  that  of  Nick 
for  observing  him. 

"I  am  here,"  replied  the  lad,  holding  his 
Winchester  in  a  tight  grip  and  apprehensive 
of  trouble. 


DEPARTURE   OF  THE   GUEST.  83 

"I  only  wanted  to  say  good-by  to  you;  I 
think  you  and  me  will  meet  before  many  daj^s  ; 
till  then,  the  best  of  luck  to  you." 

"The  same  to  yourself,"  replied  Nick,  who 
kept  his  eyes  on  the  fellow  until  he  mingled 
with  the  gloom  and  became  invisible. 

Then  he  walked  back  to  the  camp  fire,  in 
answer  to  a  whistle  from  Strubell,  who  asked 
the  time.  It  was  not  quite  three  o'clock, 
but  was  so  near  that  hour  that  the  elder 
Texan  told  him  to  lie  down  while  he  and 
Lattin  looked  after  things  for  the  rest  of  the 
night. 

Nick  hoped  his  friends  would  give  an  ex- 
planation of  the  strange  occurrence,  but, 
though  he  waited  several  minutes,  no  refer- 
ence was  made  to  it,  and  he  lay  down  in  his 
blanket  beside  the  sleeping  Herbert,  who  had 
not  once  opened  his  eyes. 

It  was  some  time  before  the  youth  became 
unconscious,  for  he  was  affected  by  what  he 
had  seen  and  heard.  He  was  convinced  that, 
however  friendly  the  feeling  appeared  to  be 
between  the  Texaiis  and  their  visitor,  the  latter 
was  a  deadly  enemy  of  himself.     He  believed, 


84  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

too,  that  Rickard's  parting  words  contained  a 
threat,  and  he  was  sure  there  would  be  a  meet- 
ing between  them  before  many  days. 

Finally  slumber  overcame  him  and  he  did 
not  awake  until  he  heard  the  voice  of  Herbert, 
and  all  were  astir,  with  day  fully  come. 

Strubell  was  busy  preparing  coffee  over  the 
coals,  and  cooking  the  remains  of  the  maverick 
shot  the  day  before.  The  climate  and  the  life 
they  were  leading  brought  strong  appetites, 
and  all  fell  to  with  the  vigor  of  health  and 
strength.  Herbert  was  in  fine  spirits,  and  said 
he  felt  better  than  at  any  time  since  leaving 
home.  There  was  little  doubt  that  he  had  re- 
ceived wonderful  benefit  from  his  trip,  and,  if 
nothing  in  the  way  of  a  set  back  occurred,  he 
had  the  best  reason  to  believe  he  w^ould  be 
fully  restored  to  health,  long  before  the  time 
came  for  his  return  home. 

The  Texans  still  avoided  all  reference  to 
Rickard,  and  Nick  decided  to  await  a  good 
opportunity  before  telling  his  young  friend  of 
the  remarkable  incident.  He  was  resolved  to 
ask  no  questions  and  to  show  no  curiosity. 
I  can  stand  it  as  long  as  they,"  he  said  to 


(( 


DEPARTURE   OF  THE   GUEST.  85 

himself,  "and  shall  give  them  their  own  time 
to  speak  about  it  or  leave  it  alone  as  they  may 
prefer." 

It  took  the  party  but  a  brief  time  to  load  up 
their  two  pack  animals,  and  to  saddle,  bridle, 
and  mount  their  ponies.  Then,  when  they 
faced  the  northwest,  they  formed  a  pic- 
turesque sight. 

Each  of  the  four  was  mounted  on  a  wiry 
pony  of  Spanish  stock,  active,  intelligent,  and 
enduring.  Not  one  of  them  had  ever  felt  the 
touch  of  currycomb  or  brush.  Nick  and  Her- 
bert, who  had  aimed  to  equip  themselves  as 
much  like  their  adult  companions  as  possible, 
were  provided  with  ponderous  saddles  of  wood 
and  leather,  weighing  fully  a  dozen  pounds 
apiece,  with  a  pommel  almost  six  inches  in 
diameter.  Those  of  the  cowboys  were  quite 
costly,  being  sprinkled  with  silver  stars  on 
different  parts  of  their  surface. 

Two  cinches  were  required  to  hold  each  of 
the  saddles  in  place,  a  forward  and  a  flank 
girth.  The  wardrobe  of  the  Texans  has 
already  been  described,  but  I  should  have 
stated   that   the  boys  had  imitated  them  in 


86  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

tliat  respect  also.  Tliey  were  provided  with 
the  broad-brimmed  wool  hat,  known  by  the 
Mexican  name  of  sombrero,  with  a  jacket  of 
ducking,  shirts  of  calico  or  hickory,  trousers 
of  stout  stuff,  over  which  were  worn  leather 
leggings.  All  had  heavy  boots,  to  which 
were  attached  two-inch  rowels,  and  the  pack 
animals,  besides  the  heavy  blankets,  simple 
cooking  utensils,  and  various  articles,  carried 
a  slicker  of  oiled  linen  for  each,  which,  when 
the  weather  was  threatening,  enveloped  the 
rider  from  head  to  heels. 

There  were  two  articles,  however,  carried  by 
the  cowboys  which  the  boys  did  not  have. 
Those  were  lariats  (called  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia only  by  the  name  of  lasso).  They  were 
about  forty  feet  long  and  were  composed  of 
eight  pliable  rawhide  thongs,  plaited  into 
ropes  of  a  half-inch  diameter.  Strubell  and 
Lattin  were  experts  in  the  use  of  the  lariat,  an 
accomplishment  which  the  boys  could  not 
hope  to  attain,  since  they  had  deferred  the 
necessary  practice  until  too  late  in  life. 


CHAPTER  X. 

DANGER   IN   THE   EAST. 

THE  sun  was  no  more  than  fairly  above 
the  horizon  when  tlie  party  were  on  the 
move,  headed  in  the  direction  named.  The 
expected  norther  did  not  come,  the  weather 
continuing  as  perfect  as  heart  could  wish. 
The  uneven  ground  rendered  the  progress  slow 
for  a  couple  of  hours,  the  horsemen  being 
obliged  to  pick  their  way  with  care ;  but,  by 
bearing  to  the  right,  better  ground  was 
reached,  and  they  struck  into  an  easy  gallop 
which  lasted  for  several  hours. 

"  Strubell,"  said  Herbert,  who  with  Xick 
was  riding  beside  the  Texan,  the  other  being 
at  the  rear  with  the  pack  animals,  "do  you 
expect  to  find  any  use  for  that  lasso  ? " 

''  You  mean  the  lariat,''-  replied  the  cow- 
boy, looking  down  at  the  rope  coiled  at  his 
saddle;  "can't  say,  but  Baker  and  I  make  it 
a  rule  to  go  prepared  for  business.     We  may 

87 


88  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

strike  a  job  in  New  Mexico,  after  taking  a 
look  at  the  ranch  for  Mr.  Lord." 

"  But  you  could  get  them  there." 

"Of  course,  but  I've  used  this  for  years, 
just  as  Baker  has  his,  and  we  are  so  accus- 
tomed to  them  that  we  prefer  to  take  them 
with  us,  just  as  you  will  soon  grow  to  prefer 
your  pony  and  your  Winchester  above  all 
others." 

"When  is  the  harvest  time,  as  you  may  call 
it,  for  cattle?"  asked  Nick,  who  was  always 
on  the  lookout  for  a  chance  to  increase  his 
store  of  knowledge. 

"  The  spring  ;  that's  when  the  big  herds  are 
put  up  for  the  drive,  and  that's  the  season 
too,  when  the  yearly  round-up  takes  place." 

"What's  that  for?" 

"To  apportion  the  unmarked  calves  and 
yearlings  among  the  owners  of  stock  on  the 
range,  so  they  can  be  branded." 

"  I  should  think  there  would  be  a  confusion 
of  brands." 

"No  ;  that  can  never  happen,  for  the  law 
requires  the  brand  to  be  recorded  in  the 
county    clerk's    office.      It    is    generally    the 


DANGER  IN   THE   EAST.  89 

initials  of  the  owner's  name,  with  perhaps 
some  device  to  help  distinguish  it.  The 
county  clerk  sees  to  it  that  no  two  are  the 
same.  But,"  added  the  Texan,  "  the  law  com- 
pels every  cattle  owner  to  record  also  with  the 
county  clerk  the  ear-marks,  crops,  half-crops, 
upper  and  under  bits,  upper  and  under  slopes, 
splits,  swallow-forks,  and  jingle-bobs.  When 
all  this  is  done,  the  ranchman  can  identify  his 
proi^erty  as  easily  as  you  could  pick  out  your 
own  father  in  a  crowd." 

"  Suppose  a  lot  of  branded  cattle  are  sold?" 
asked  Xick. 

"That  seller  is  compelled  to  counterbrand 
them,  and  in  case  they  are  driven  from  the 
State,  the  buyer  is  obliged  to  road-brand  them 
with  a  device  different  from  his  regular  brand, 
and  must  record  it  in  every  county  through 
which  he  passes." 

"I  should  think  some  of  the  cattle  would 
become  pretty  well  covered  with  brands." 

"So  they  do;  after  a  few  shif  tings  about, 
I  have  seen  them  so  thickly  branded  that  there 
seemed  no  place  for  anything  ne^v  in  that  line. 
It  doesn't  require  many  transfers  to  do  this 


90  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

when  the  burned  letters,  as  I  have  seen  them, 
are  nearly  a  foot  long." 

"  How  is  the  branding  done  ?  " 

"  When  convenient,  the  animal  is  driven 
between  two  parallel  lines  of  fencing,  called  a 
chute,  bars  being  i^laced  before  and  behind 
him.  He  is  then  helpless,  and  the  operator 
does  the  work  at  his  leisure.  But  fences 
(except  the  wire  kind  that  the  big  owners  are 
stretching  across  the  country)  are  scarce,  and 
we  generally  have  to  go  to  the  help  of  the 
brander." 

"How  do  you  manage  it ?  " 

"Easily  enough;  slip  about  eight  feet  of 
the  end  of  the  lariat  through  the  ring,  and, 
putting  a  loop  at  the  other  end,  over  the 
pommel  of  the  saddle,  I  gather  the  coils  into 
my  bridle  hand,  holding  the  noose  in  my  right, 
and  start  my  pony  on  a  gallop.  The  animal 
that  I  want  breaks  into  a  run.  I  quickly  get 
near  enough  to  drop  the  noose  over  its  head 
or  fore  feet,  and  the  pony  wheels  the  other 
way  and  braces  himself  for  the  shock  that  he 
knows  is  coming  and  which  throws  the  animal 
to  the  ground.       The  minute  he  goes  down, 


DANGER   IN   THE   EAST.  91 

the  branders  seize  him  by  the  head  and  tail, 
and  the  hot  iron  does  its  work." 

"  The  operation  mnst  be  painful,"  suggested 
Herbert. 

"  Well,"  replied  Strubell,  "I  suppose  the 
animal  doesn't  enjoy  it  overmuch,  but  it  isn't 
so  bad  as  many  think,  for  the  brander  must 
take  great  care  not  to  burn  through  the  skin 
into  the  flesh." 

"  What  harm  would  be  done  by  fhatf  " 
"The  brand  would  be  blotched,  and  a  good 
many  dishonest  people  would  find  an  excuse 
for  getting  their  brands  mixed  ;  but  that  isn't 
the  worst  trouble,"  added  the  cowboy,  "for 
after  the  branding  comes  the  blow-fly,  which 
is  the  pest  of  Texas." 

*'  What  is  his  style  of  working  ?  " 
"He  deposits  his  eggs  under  the  raw  sore, 
and,  before  long,  thousands  of  screw  worms 
are  eating  their  way  toward  the  vitals  of  the 
animal."" 

"  What  is  done  to  check  them?  " 
"We  have  different  remedies,  which  only 
half  do  their  work,  but  the  best  that  I  know 
of  is  cresylic  ointment.     In  order  to  apply  it, 


92  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

however,  the  animal  must  be  roped  and  some- 
times thrown  down." 

' '  It  looks  as  if  the  cowboy  has  more  work  than 
play  in  his  business,"  said  Nick,  with  a  laugh. 

Strubell  turned  and  stared  at  him  a  moment, 
as  if  pitying  his  ignorance. 

"  If  you  have  any  doubt  about  it,  just  try 
it  for  six  months  or  a  year.  We  spend  most 
of  our  time  in  the  saddle  from  daylight  till 
dark.  When  on  the  trail,  our  diet  is  bacon, 
bread,  and  coffee,  and  not  overmuch  of  that.  I 
have  gone  twenty  hours  without  a  mouthful, 
for  the  simi^le  reason  that  I  hadn't  the  time 
to  ride  to  the  cook  wagon  to  get  it.  When 
one  pony  gave  out,  I  jumped  on  another  and 
rode  him  like  a  house  afire." 

"  What  was  the  cause  for  such  hard  work  ? " 

"  Chiefly  stampedes,  which  set  the  animals 
wild.  When  following  the  Old  Cattle  Trail, 
northward  through  Texas  and  Kansas,  I  have 
had  five  thousand  cattle  scattered  to  every 
point  of  the  compass  by  a  thunder-storm, 
despite  all  we  could  do  to  keep  them  together. 
Sometimes  they  become  crazy  for  water,  start 
bellowing  on  a  full  run,  and  crowd  into  the 


DANGER   IN   THE   EAST.  93 

first  stream  so  fast  that  a  hundred  or  two  are 
drowned  ;  then,  when  the  night  is  still  and  no 
air  stirring,  nor  the  slightest  cause,  so  far  as 
you  can  see,  exists  for  alarm,  something  will 
set  them  off  again.  The  only  explanation 
that  I  could  ever  think  of  was  that  the  animals 
are  troubled  now  and  then  with  bad  dreams, 
and  by  their  cavorting  frighten  the  others  out 
of  their  Avits." 

"They  must  be  guarded  carefully  at  night  ? " 
"  Certainly  ;  our  men  are  divided  into  three 
reliefs,  which  makes  it  a  little  harder  than  we 
have  it  now.  When  the  stampede  breaks  out, 
the  riders  have  no  let  up  night  or  day  till  the 
cattle  are  brought  together  again.  Then,  too, 
the  Kiowas  or  Comanches  may  take  it  into 
their  heads  to  try  a  little  cattle  speculation. 
Tliey  are  all  fine  horsemen  and  rifle-shots,  and 
a  half  dozen  of  the  scamps  can  make  things  as 
lively  on  a  dark  night  as  a  nest  of  hornets. 
However,  we  like  it  for  all  that,"  said  the 
Texan,  "because  it's  the  only  business  we 
know ;  but  these  big  cattle  owners,  that  are 
fencing  in  most  of  Texas  with  their  barbed 
wire,  will  soon  take  it  away  from  us." 


94  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

At  this  juncture,  Lattin  touched  his  pony 
with  his  spur,  and  placed  him  alongside  the 
others. 

''I  wish,"  said  he,  "that  you  would  pMnt 
that  machine  of  yours  off  there  to  the  east,  and 
let  us  know  what  you  make  of  it." 

His  outstretched  arm  showed  the  direction 
named,  and  his  friends  naturally  turned  their 
attention  toward  that  x>oint  of  the  compass. 
They  were  on  the  plain,  where  the  grass  grew 
plentifully,  the  hilly  portions  being  in  sight 
several  miles  to  their  left. 

Before  the  field  glass  was  called  into  use,  all 
saw,  seemingly  in  the  very  rim  of  the  horizon, 
several  horsemen  moving  apparently  over  a 
course  parallel  with  their  own,  since  Lattin 
said  they  had  been  in  sight  for  nearly  an  hour, 
and  were  neither  more  nor  less  distinct  than 
when  first  observed. 

The  glasses  were  passed  from  one  to  the 
other,  and  the  parties  were  closely  studied. 
The  instruments  were  of  great  help,  giving  to 
our  friends  a  knowledge  which  otherwise  they 
could  not  have  obtained. 

All  agreed  that  there  were  three  horsemen, 


DANGER   IN   THE   EAST.  95 

and  that  one,  possibly  two,  were  white  men. 
The  third  might  have  belonged  to  the  same 
race,  but,  for  some  cause,  tlie  Texans  declared 
that  he  was  a  half-breed,  known  as  Jim-John, 
one  of  the  worst  rogues  in  the  Southwest. 

"  If  you  know  7dm,''''  said  Nick,  "you  ought 
to  know  the  others." 

"Sol  do,"  quietly  replied  Strubell ;  "one 
is  Bell  Eickard,  that  you  introduced  to  us  last 
night.  They're  a  bad  lot,  and  we're  bound  to 
have  trouble  with  them  before  morning." 

Little  did  the  sagacious  Texan  suspect  the 
startling  manner  in  which  his  words  were  to  be 
verified. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

STEATs^GE   PROCEEDINGS. 

THE  elder  Texan  turned  to  the  boys  and 
said : 

"I  must  ask  you  to  excuse  Baker  and  me 
for  a  few  minutes,  while  we  discuss  a  little  pri- 
vate business." 

It  was  a  singular  request,  but  Nick  and  Her- 
bert nodded  their  heads.  Striking  their  ponies 
into  a  quick  gallop,  the  cowboys  rode  a  hun- 
dred yards  or  so  in  advance,  before  bringing 
their  animals  down  to  a  walk.  The  gait  of  the 
youths  was  the  same. 

The  remark  made  by  Strubell  concerning 
Rickard,  caused  Herbert  to  ask  what  it  meant. 
Nick  told  him  the  story,  adding : 

"  They  are  talking  now  about  him  and  the 
others  :  look  at  them  !  " 

The  Texans  were  certainly  discussing  some 
subject  with  great  earnestness.  Inasmuch  as 
they  kept  glancing  to  the  eastward,  gesticulat- 

96 


STRANGE   PROCEEDINGS.  97 

ing  and  often  pointing  in  that  direction,  there 
was  little  doubt  that  Nick  was  right  in  his 
surmise  as  to  the  theme  of  their  conversa- 
tion. 

''I  wonder  what  it  can  be,"  said  Herbert, 
after  watching  the  conple,  who  modulated 
their  voices  so  that  not  a  word  could  be  recog- 
nized ;  "  it  seems  strange  that  they  should 
treat  the  horse  thief  as  a  friend,  when  they 
know  him  to  be  an  enemy," 

"  Well,  I  have  been  trying  to  figure  it  out ;  I 
supposed  they  would  make  it  clear  to  me,  but 
though  I  heard  them  speak  about  it  to  each 
other  this  morning,  they  took  care  not  to  give 
me  a  word  in  the  way  of  explanation.  I  shall 
not  ask  them,  though  I  was  never  more  curious 
to  learn  anything  in  all  my  life." 

"It  can't  be  that  Strubell  and  Lattin  are 
on  friendly  terms  with  Rickard  ? "  suggested 
Herbert. 

"  I  might  think  so,  after  what  we  have 
just  seen,  though  it  seems  cruel  to  suspect 
them  of  anything  like  that.  Mr.  Lord  has 
known  them  for  years,  and  says  two  more 
honest  men  never  lived." 
7 


98  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

"You  are  brighter  than  I  am,  Nick  ;  what 
is  your  theory? " 

"  Well,  it  is  clear  that  Strubell  and  Lattin 
had  the  choice  of  shooting  down  Rickard 
when  I  drove  him  into  camp,  or  of  letting  him 
go.  They  knew  it  was  of  no  nse  to  ask  a 
pledge  of  him  in  payment  for  their  kindness, 
for  he  woiildn'  t  regard  any  promise  as  bind- 
ing; so,  not  willing  to  treat  him  as  he  de- 
served, perhaps  they  took  the  fellow  for  what 
he  was,  and  then  let  him  go." 

"You  may  be  right,  but  the  explanation 
doesn't  amount  to  much,  and  doesn't  satisfy 
me." 

"Nor  me  either.  I  would  like  to  hear 
yours." 

"I  haven't  any.  They  are  hard  at  it 
now  !  " 

The  Texans  were  talking  more  excitedly 
than  ever,  but  did  not  forget  to  keep  their 
voices  so  low  that  no  stray  word  reached  the 
ears  of  the  puzzled  youths. 

The  conference,  however,  speedily  reached 
its  conclusion.  Their  talking  ceased,  and, 
bringing    their    horses    to   a  standstill,   they 


STRANGE   PROCEEDINGS.  99 

waited  for  the  boys  and  the  pack  horses  to 
join  them. 

The  faces  of  Strubell  and  Lattin  showed  signs 
of  the  stirring  conversation,  but,  as  tlie  boys 
anticipated,  they  were  silent  as  to  the  theme. 

"  We  must  make  a  change  in  our  course," 
said  the  ekler,  who  immediately  turned  the 
head  of  his  pony  to  the  westward,  in  the 
direction  of  the  hills  among  which  they  had 
spent  the  previous  night.  It  was  near  noon, 
and  the  major  part  of  the  day  was  gone,  when 
they  reached  the  rougher  section  where  the 
Texans  said  the  camp  was  to  be  made. 

They  showed  their  usual  good  judgment  in 
the  selection  of  a  favorable  site,  for  it  was 
near  another  running  stream,  larger  than  the 
previous  one,  though  the  current  was  roiled 
and  lukewarm.  They  might  count  themselves 
fortunate,  however,  that  they  were  able  to 
find  water  at  all ;  for  thirst  has  caused  the 
death  of  untold  tliousands  of  cattle  on  the 
vast  plains  of  Texas,  and  brought  great  suffer- 
ing to  those  who  have  ventured  not  alone 
upon  tlie  Llano  Estacado,  but  in  other  local- 
ities where  moisture  is  almost  unknown. 


100  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

The  pack  horses  were  unloaded,  saddles  and 
bridles  removed,  and  the  ponies  allowed  to 
crop  the  scanty  grass.  It  was  too  early  for 
the  regular  evening  meal,  but  considerable 
fuel  was  gathered ;  and,  much  sooner  than 
there  seemed  to  be  any  need  for  it,  a  fire  was 
started,  the  smoke  from  which  rose  vertically, 
and  was  of  so  dark  a  color  that  it  must  have 
been  visible  for  a  long  distance  across  the 
plain. 

During  all  this  time  the  three  horsemen  in 
the  eastern  horizon  were  not  forgotten.  The 
glasses  were  often  turned  thither,  and  there 
could  be  no  doubt  that  Rickard  and  his  com- 
panions were  keeping  our  friends  in  sight. 
Evidently  they  were  determined  that  they 
should  not  be  lost. 

The  use  of  spy  glasses  has  never  been  com- 
mon among  the  cowmen,  who  are  generally 
gifted  with  such  keen  eyesight  that  they  scorn 
everything  in  the  nature  of  artificial  help. 
Counting  upon  this  fact,  it  was  not  unlikely 
that  Rickard  believed  that,  by  hovering  on 
the  line  of  invisibility,  he  would  escape  atten- 
tion, or  at  least  suspicion,  on  the  part  of  the 


STRANGE   PROCEEDINGS.  101 

Texans.  Had  lie  known  of  the  field  glasses, 
he  must  have  made  an  important  change  in 
his  programme. 

The  fact  that  our  friends  were  without  a 
particle  of  food  did  not  cause  them  concern. 
They  were  not  likely  to  suffer  from  starvation, 
for,  beside  the  stray  cattle  that  they  were  war- 
ranted in  using  in  an  emergency  (always  hold- 
ing themselves  ready  to  reimburse  the  owner 
when  it  could  be  done),  there  were  antelope 
and  other  animals  to  be  found  among  the 
hills. 

But  Lattin  stated  that,  nnless  some  kind 
of  game  would  be  accommodating  enough 
to  come  forward  and  offer  itself  as  a  sacrifice 
to  their  needs,  they  would  content  themselves 
with  a  good  cup  of  coffee  around,  making  up 
for  the  light  meal  when  morning  should  come. 

When  the  sun  sank  behind  the  hills,  Hickard 
and  his  party  became  invisible  to  the  naked 
eye.  The  supposition  might  have  been  that 
they  had  withdrawn  and  would  be  seen  no 
more,  but  for  the  story  told  by  the  field 
glasses.  Under  their  power  it  was  discovered 
that  the  scamps  had  dismounted  near  a  small 


102  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

arroya  or  natural  depression,  and  compelled 
their  animals  to  lie  down.  Seating  themselves 
at  the  same  time  on  the  grass,  they  filled  too 
small  an  angle  for  the  unassisted  eye  to  note 
them  across  the  intervening  space. 

Strubell  turned  to  Lattin  and  spoke  : 

"Bell's  cunning,  but  he  does  not  dream 
about  the  spy  glasses." 

"We're  bound  to  hear  from  him  before 
morning,"  replied  Lattin. 

They  did  not  mean  that  their  words  should 
be  overheard,  but  Nick  caught  them  all, 
though  he  affected  ignorance. 

The  next  sentences  were  meant  for  the  youths. 

"Hadn't  we  better  move  over  the  trail  into 
the  hills,  Ard?"  asked  the  younger  Texan,  as 
though  the  idea  had  just  come  to  him. 

"Why  should  we  do  that?"  inquired  the 
other,  as  if  in  surprise. 

"  Well,  you  know  of  that  spring  where  we've 
camped  many  a  time,  and  once  had  the  brush 
with  half  a  hundred  Comanches.  There  are 
more  rocks  and  bowlders  there,  and  everything 
is  a  blamed  sight  better  for  a  fight  than  it  is 
here." 


STRANGE  PROCEEDINGS.  103 

"Now,  Baker,  you  aint  so  foolish  as  to 
think  Bell  and  the  others  mean  to  disturb  us  ? " 
asked  Strubell,  apparently  forgetting  the  words 
uttered  by  himself  only  a  few  minutes  before, 

"  Well,  maybe  not,  but  joii  know  as  well  as 
me  that  it  won't  do  to  trust  him  further  than 
you  can  see  him." 

"I  tell  you,  Baker,  what  will  be  better," 
spoke  u]3  Strubell,  like  a  man  with  a  new  and 
brilliant  idea  ;  "  we'll  send  the  boys  ahead  to 
the  -spring  with  the  pack  horses,  while  we 
wait  here  and  find  out  just  what  Bell  is  up  to." 

"That  is  a  good  plan,"  added  Lattin  heartily  ; 
"let's  do  it." 

The  Texans  now  turned  to  Nick  and  Her- 
bert, as  though  they  did  not  suspect  they  had 
caught  any  of  the  conversation. 

"Boys,  we  want  to  watch  Bell  and  the  others 
for  a  while,  and  have  made  up  our  minds  to 
let  you  ride  some  distance  over  the  trail,  while 
we  stay  here  and  watch.  I  have  proposed  it, 
and  Baker  agrees  that  the  plan  is  a  good  one. 
You  have  no  objections  ?" 

It  occurred  to  Nick  to  ask  in  what  way  it 
was  likely  to  improve  their  eyesight  and  the 


104  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

power  of  the  glnsses,  by  sending  him  and 
Herbert  off.  Surely  tlieir  presence  or  absence 
could  not  operate  one  way  or  the  other.  The 
proposition  was  not  very  i)rofound  or  bright, 
but,  keeping  back  his  thoughts,  he  promptly 
answered : 

"Herbert  and  I  are  always  ready  to  do 
cheerfully  whatever  you  decide  is  best  for 
us." 

"  Thanks  !— spoken  like  a  man.  Now,  you 
see  the  trail  just  beyond,"  added  Strubell, 
pointing  to  a  faintly  marked  path;  "it  has 
been  used  since  the  days  of  old  Moses  Austin 
and  Sam  Houston,  and  is  so  plain  that  you 
can' t  miss  it.  It  leads  into  the  hills  for  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile,  and  then  turns  north  through  a 
sort  of  valley.  A  little  more  than  half  a  mile 
further,  and  you  will  come  upon  one  of  the 
prettiest  springs  of  water  in  Texas.  There's 
where  you  will  unsaddle  and  make  camp  for 
to-night." 

"  When  will  j^ou  join  us?  " 

"  We  hope  to  do  so  in  the  course  of  a  few 
hours,  but  don't  be  alarmed  if  you  see  nothing 
of  us  before  morning." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WHAT   DOES   IT   MEAX  ? 

BEFORE  parting  with  the  Texans,  Nick 
Ribsam  handed  liis  fiekl  glass  to  Strubell, 
with  the  remark  that  he  and  Lattin  would  be 
likely  to  find  it  of  use,  and  it  could  be  well 
spared,  since  Herbert  had  one  of  his  own. 
The  coffee  was  prepared  before  the  breaking 
up  took  place,  for  the  cooking  utensils  were  to 
go  with  the  boys,  and  the  men  did  not  expect 
to  have  much  leisure  for  preparing  the  deli- 
cious refreshment. 

The  trail,  to  which  several  references  have 
been  made,  showed  no  evidence  of  having  been 
recently  travelled,  though,  in  the  course  of 
time,  a  great  many  animals  must  have  found 
their  way  through  the  hills  by  that  route, 
which  Nick  took,  with  the  pack  horses  string- 
ing after,  and  Herbert  bringing  up  the  rear. 

It  was  too  strait  to  admit  of  two  horsemen 
riding  abreast,  and  there  were  places  where 

106 


106  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

there  was  none  too  much  room  for  a  single 
animal.  The  i^ath  wound  in  and  out  among 
and  around  bowlders  and  large  rocks,  with 
stunted  vegetation  here  and  there,  all  the  time 
steadily  ascending,  until  a  height  of  several 
hundred  feet  was  attained,  beyond  which  the 
descent  was  gradual,  until  the  same  level  was 
reached  on  the  other  side. 

The  distance  across  the  ridge  or  small  moun- 
tain spur  has  been  named — about  one-fourth 
of  a  mile.  It  is  probable  that  it  was  first  made 
by  the  feet  of  wild  animals  when  they  were 
more  numerous  in  the  neighborhood,  and  was 
afterward  used  by  Indians  and  hunters  in 
jjassing  to  and  fro  through  that  portion  of 
Texas.  It  was  not  the  first  time  that  the 
speechless  part  of  creation  has  blazed  the  path 
for  the  pioneer  to  follow  after  them. 

Nick  Ribsam,  having  placed  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  little  party,  started  his  pony, 
Jack,  on  a  moderate  Avalk,  the  others  following 
at  the  same  pace,  with  Herbert  and  his  Jill  at 
the  rear.  They  had  named  their  animals  that 
day,  and  both  were  surprised  at  the  intelli- 
gence, speed,  and  endurance  they  developed. 


WHAT  DOES   IT   MEAN  ?  107 

It  was  impossible  for  the  boys  not  to  form  a 
fondness  for  the  ponies,  since  they  were  so 
worthy,  and  showed  a  strong  affection  for  their 
masters. 

The  sun  was  well  above  the  horizon,  and  the 
youths  had  plenty  of  time  at  command.  At 
the  highest  portion  of  the  path,  where  the 
space  was  broad  enough  for  a  dozen  animals 
to  stand  side  by  side,  the  boys  came  to- 
gether. 

"I  guess,"  said  Nick,  from  his  saddle  to 
Herbert  on  his  right,  "  that  you  understand 
what  all  this  means." 

"I  suspect,"  replied  the  elder,  "that  Stru- 
bell  and  Lattin  are  preparing  for  a  fight  with 
Richard  and  his  men." 

"  I've  no  doubt  that's  it,  and  they  want  us 
out  of  the  way ;  they  are  pretty  shrewd  fel- 
lows, but  I  can't  help  wondering  what  answer 
Strubell  would  have  made,  if  I  had  asked  him 
how  our  absence  would  be  likely  to  help  him 
and  Lattin  better  than  our  presence.  Well, 
no  doubt  they  have  good  reason  to  want  us 
beyond  gunshot;  we  couldn't  give  them  any 
help,  and  might  j)rove  a  hindrance,  and  they 


108  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

think  too  much  of  us  to  allow  us  to  run  into 
danger  when  they  can  prevent  it." 

'•Nick,"  said  Herbert,  as  if  giving  expres- 
sion to  a  thought  that  had  been  in  his  mind 
for  some  time  ;  "I  wish  I  could  think  as  you 
do  about  things,  but  I  can't." 

The  younger  lad  looked  at  him  with  sur- 
prise. 

"  What's  the  odds,  if  we  don't  see  every- 
thing in  exactly  the  same  light?  But  I  am 
not  sure  that  I  understand  j'ou." 

"Let's  dismount  for  a  few  minutes," 

The  open  sjiace  where  the  four  animals  were 
standing  was  so  walled  in  by  masses  and  piles 
of  stone  and  vegetation  that,  although  con- 
siderably higher  than  their  friends  at  the  foot 
of  the  ridge,  the  latter  were  invisible.  By 
climbing  a  large,  irregular  bowlder,  the  Texans 
were  in  plain  sight. 

"Don't  let  them  see  us,"  said  Herbert,  "but 
let's  watch  them  for  a  wliile  :  maybe  you  can 
explain  things,  and  maybe  you  can't." 

Nick  was  a  little  disturbed  by  the  words  of 
Herbert,  though  it  should  be  stated  that  it  was 
not  the  mind  of  either  to  suspect  the  Texans 


WHAT   DOES   IT   MEAN  ?  109 

of  anytliing  but  the  truest  friendsliip  toward 
them  ;  but  it  looked  very  much  as  if  some- 
thing was  on  foot  whicli  they  wished  to  keep 
secret  from  their  younger  companions. 

Strubell  and  Lattin  were  standing  beside 
each  other,  with  their  whole  attention  directed 
eastward,  where  Rickard  and  his  companions 
were  known  to  be.  At  the  moment  the  boys 
observed  them,  the  elder  Texan  was  holding 
the  field  glass  levelled,  while  Lattin  was  doing 
what  he  could  in  the  way  of  observation  by 
shading  his  eyes  with  one  hand.  They  were 
too  far  off  to  learn  w-hether  any  words  passed 
between  the  cowboys. 

"I  don't  notice  anything  to  cause  ques- 
tion," remarked  Nick,  after  viewing  the 
couple  for  several  minutes.  "They  are 
simply  studying  the  horse  thieves  over  yonder, 
in  the  hope  of  finding  out  something  about 
their  purposes.  We  have  been  doing  the  same 
thing,  off  and  on,  for  a  number  of  hours." 

"And  you  think  there  will  be  a  fight?" 

"It  looks  that  way;  it  seems  to  me  that 
Strubell  and  Lattin  are  satisfied  that  those 
fellows  yonder  are  bent  on  stealing  our  horses, 


110  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

and  that  they  are  likely  to  hang  to  us  for 
days  and  nights,  in  the  hope  of  getting  a  good 
chance  to  do  so.  So  our  friends  have  made 
up  their  minds  that  the  best  thing  is  to  settle 
it  at  once,  and  by  sending  us  off  they  have 
cleared  the  deck  for  action." 

"You  put  it  very  well,"  said  Herbert, 
whose  admiration  of  his  companion's  bright- 
ness never  grew  less  ;  "and  maybe,  since  you 
have  explained  some  things  so  well,  you  will 
tell  us  about  others." 

The  youths  now  took  turns  in  studying  the 
group  across  the  plain.  The  sun  was  out  of 
sight  behind  the  hills  to  their  rear,  but  the 
eastern  horizon,  being  relieved  from  the  glare, 
was  more  favorable  than  before  for  observa- 
tion through  the  instrument. 

The  three  horses  of  the  rogues  were  seen  to 
be  on  their  feet,  with  their  riders  standing 
beside  them,  as  if  about  to  climb  into  the  sad- 
dles. One  of  the  company,  evidently  Rickard 
himself,  was  several  paces  in  advance  of  the 
others,  as  motionless  as  a  statue,  and  evidently 
staring  in  turn  toward  the  Texans  at  the  foot 
of  the  ridge. 


WHAT   DOES   IT   MEAN  ?  Ill 

"  It  looks  to  me,"  said  Nick,  passing  the 
glass  back  to  Herbert,  "  as  thougli  lie  is  using 
a  field  glass  :  can  it  be  possible  ? " 

"What  is  there  so  wonderful  about  that? 
The  cowboys  may  not  be  fond  of  spy  glasses, 
but  it  would  be  strange  if  some  of  them  did 
not  employ  all  the  helj)  they  could  get  in 
their  business." 

Ceasing  the  conversation  for  the  moment, 
the  boys  gave  their  whole  attention  to  seeing 
what  they  could  see. 

Lattin,  having  passed  the  glass  to  Strubell, 
stepped  back  to  where  the  fire  was  beginning 
to  burn  low,  and  threw  on  a  few  sticks.  When 
the  ascending  smoke  increased  in  volume,  he 
took  "off  his  broad-brimmed  hat  and  waved  it 
in  an  odd  way  over  the  blaze.  The  result  was 
that  the  volume  of  smoke,  instead  of  ascend- 
ing vertically,  was  broken  into  what  might  be 
called  a  regular  irregularity,  the  appearance 
being  peculiar  and  different  from  anything  the 
the  youths  had  ever  observed  before. 

"That's  a  signal  to  the  horse  thieves,"  said 
Herbert,  "and  I  would  give  a  good  deal  to 
know  what  it  means." 


112  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

"  So  would  I,"  added  Nick,  more  disturbed 
by  the  sight  than  he  was  willing  to  admit. 

It  looked  as  if  Herbert  was  right,  but,  if  so, 
the  singular  feature  of  the  business  was  that 
all  the  signalling  seemed  to  be  done  by  Strubell 
and  Lattin.  Nothing,  so  far  as  could  be  i)er- 
ceived,  was  sent  in  response  by  Rickard. 

If  there  were  actual  communication  going 
on  between  the  j)arties,  it  was  bej^ond  the 
power  of  Nick  and  Herbert  to  frame  a  satis- 
factory explanation.  Why  intercourse  should 
be  held  at  such  long  range,  when  seemingly 
there  was  no  reason  for  the  mutual  playing  off, 
was  a  problem  beyond  ordinary  acuteness. 

But  while  the  two  were  speculating,  Her- 
bert, with  his  field  glass  to  his  eye,  began 
sweeping  every  part  of  the  visible  horizon. 
He  had  no  special  object  in  doing  this,  but 
thought  he  might  perceive  other  horsemen, 
who  had  nothing  to  do  with  their  friends  or 
enemies. 

Suddenly  he  startled  Nick  by  an  excla- 
mation. 

"Follow  the  direction  of  my  finger!"  he 
said,  "and  tell  me  what  you  see." 


WHAT   DOES   IT   MEAN  ?  113 

He  pointed  almost  north,  that  is  in  a  line 
parallel  with  the  ridge  which  they  were  cross- 
ing ;  and,  without  the  aid  of  the  field  glass, 
Kick  observed  a  second  column  of  smoke  of 
precisely  the  same  appearance  as  that  pro- 
duced by  Baker  Lattin  at  the  foot  of  the 
hills. 

Apparently  it  was  a  mile  distant,  its  loca- 
tion being  at  one  corner  of  a  right-angled 
triangle,  with  the  horse  thieves  and  Texans  at 
the  other  two  respective  corners.  The  course 
of  the  ridge  shut  Strubell  and  Lattin  from 
the  sight  of  those  that  were  managing  the 
second  fire.  The  parties  could  not  have 
caught  the  first  mutual  glimpse,  and  yet 
nothing  was  more  reasonable  to  believe  than 
that  they  were  telegraphing  important  mes- 
sages back  and  forth  to  each  other. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AN  UNEXPECTED    SIGNAL. 

THE  mystery  to  the  lads  was  deeper  than 
ever.  Matters  were  inexplainable  be- 
fore, and  now  they  were  still  more  involved. 

"It  strikes  me,"  said  Herbert,  "that  the 
best  course  for  us  is  to  stay  where  we  are  and 
watch  things." 

"Nothing  would  suit  me  better,  and  yet  it 
would  be  hardly  right,  after  our  promise  to 
Strubell  and  Lattin.  They  asked  us  to  ride 
forward  to  the  spring,  and  we  promised  to  do 
so.  If  Ave  stay  here  we  break  our  word. 
True,  we  would  be  sure  to  pick  up  some  inter- 
esting information,  but  it  would  be  of  a  kind 
that  they  don't  want  us  to  have,  at  least  for 
the  present." 

"You  are  right,  as  you  always  are,"  re- 
plied Herbert;  "it  did  not  occur  to  me  in 
that  light;  let  us  go  on." 

114 


AN    UNEXPECTED   SIGNAL.  115 

"Walking  back  to  wliere  their  ponies  were 
waiting,  they  remounted  and  started  forward 
in  the  same  order  as  before.  Both  were  busy 
with  their  thoughts,  and  filled  with  a  disquiet 
which  disturbed  them  a  good  deal.  They 
would  have  been  glad  to  drive  away  the 
misgivings,  but  could  not.  The  conviction 
was  strong  on  each  that  a  grave  crisis  was  at 
hand,  and  that,  before  the  setting  sun  showed 
itself  again,  every  member  of  the  party  was 
likely  to  become  involved  in  greater  peril  than 
they  had  faced  since  their  union. 

The  trail  continued  descending  at  the 
moderate  rate  of  its  ascent,  and,  at  tlie  point 
named  by  the  Texans,  it  turned  sharply  north- 
ward, following  a  course  parallel  to  the  ridge 
and  at  its  base. 

They  expected  to  travel  about  a  half  mile 
over  the  new  course,  which  they  found  freer 
from  bowlders  and  obstructions  than  before. 
The  horses  moved  with  a  brisker  pace,  as  if 
they  knew  camp  was  not  far  off,  and  a  long 
and  grateful  rest  was  at  hand. 

At  the  moment  of  emerging  from  the  hills, 
and  reaching  the  lower  level,  the  sun  dipped 


116  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

below  the  horizon  and  twilight  began.  Far  to 
the  westward  stretched  the  broad  prairie,  with 
the  faint  blue  line  of  a  distant  chain  of  moun- 
tains, resting  like  a  cloud  against  the  clear  sky- 
beyond. 

The  sweep  of  the  field  glass  failed  to  reveal 
any  living  creature.  It  seemed  to  the  youths 
as  if  they  were  entering  upon  a  vast  solitude, 
where  they  were  the  only  intruders.  They 
pushed  along  the  path  in  silence,  the  sounds 
of  their  animals'  hoofs  being  all  that  broke  the 
solemn  stillness.  Nick  turned  his  head  now 
and  then,  and,  looking  over  the  backs  of  the 
pack  horses,  saw  that  Herbert  was  more 
thoughtful  than  usual.  His  face  wore  a  grave 
expression,  Avhich  proved  that  the  situation 
oppressed  him. 

"  But,"  added  Nick  to  himself,  "  suppose  his 
suspicions  are  right,  what  harm  can  result  ?  If 
Strubell  and  Lattin  are  friends  of  Rickard, 
and  have  an  understanding  with  him,  in  what 
way  can  it  affect  ns  ?  Mr.  Lord  may  be 
deceived  into  believing  they  are  honest,  but  we 
have  nothing  to  fear.  None  of  them  has  ill 
designs  against  us,  and,  whatever  the  relations 


AX   UNEXPECTED   SIGNAL.  117 

of  the  parties,  our  friends  would  never  permit 
tlie  outlaws  to  molest  us." 

Xick  might  have  persuaded  himself  fully 
to  this  faith,  but  for  the  remembrance  of  the 
scene  the  night  before.  He  could  not  forget 
the  threat  of  Rickard  as  he  walked  off  in  the 
gloom,  nor  would  that  bad  man  forgive  the 
indignity  put  upon  him  by  a  boy  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  couple  of  acquaintances.  Such  char- 
acters are  as  revengeful  as  American  Indians, 
and  he  would  lose  no  opportunity  of  paying 
him  therefor.  It  is  a  sad  fact  that  about  half 
the  world  are  engaged  in  "getting  even  "  with 
the  otlier  half,  for  fancied  wrongs  received  at 
their  hands. 

Nick  had  not  ridden  far  when  he  abruptly 
checked  his  pony  and  called  to  Herbert : 

"Halloo!  here's  something  we  didn't  bar- 
gain for." 

"What's  that?"  asked  the  surprised  Her- 
bert. 

"Come  forward  and  see." 

The  elder  was  about  to  dismount,  when  he 
perceived  that,  by  crowding,  he  could  force  Jill 
alongside  of  his  friend.     He  did  so,  and  dis- 


118  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

covered  that  wliicli  had  checked  the  proces- 
sion. 

The  trail  which  they  had  been  following 
divided,  one  branch  turning  to  the  right  and 
the  other  to  the  left.  The  divergence  was  so 
sliglit,  that  there  could  not  be  much  space 
between  the  two  at  a  considerable  distance 
beyond,  unless  the  angle  increased. 

"It's  singular  that  neither  Strubell  nor  Lat- 
tin  said  anything  about  this,"  remaiked  Nick, 
looking  inquiringly  at  Herbert,  who  was  fol- 
lowing the  path  with  his  eye. 

"I  don't  understand  that  anymore  than  I 
understand  the  other  matters  we  have  been 
talking  about.  How  are  we  going  to  tell  which 
is  the  right  course?  " 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  youths  had 
been  riding  northward,  along  the  base  of  the 
ridge,  where  the  ground  was  comparatively 
level ;  but  for  some  distance  the  trail  turned 
slightly  in  among  the  hills,  compelling  a 
moderate  descent,  and  a  more  winding  course, 
through  and  around  the  bowlders  and  obstruc- 
tions. At  the  point  where  Nick  had  reined  up 
his  pony  this  trend  became  more  pronounced, 


AX   UXEXPECTED   SIGXAL.  119 

wliile  the  path  on  the  left  led  down  toward  the 
foot  of  the  hills. 

The  difficulty  lay  in  the  fact  that  each  was 
marked  with  equal  distinctness,  and  it  was, 
therefore,  beyond  their  power  to  decide  with 
certainty  which  was  the  right  one  to  follow. 
This  was  proven  when  Nick  gave  it  as  his 
belief  that  the  one  on  the  right  was  the  main 
trail,  while  Herbert  was  equally  x^ositive  that 
the  reverse  was  the  case  ;  how,  therefore,  was 
the  question  to  be  settled  ? 

"There's  one  thing  clear  to  me,"  said  Xick, 
seeing  how  matters  stood  ;  "  Strubell  and  Lat- 
tin  are  certain  that  we  are  not  placing  our- 
selves in  any  danger  by  leaving  them  behind 
and  riding  on  alone ;  for  we  agree  that  the 
movement  was  meant  for  our  good.  We 
haven't  caught  the  first  sight  of  man  or  ani- 
mal, so  we  need  not  be  troubled.  Now,  I  will 
follow  the  upper  path,  which  I  think  is  the 
right  one,  while  you  take  the  lower.  That 
will  be  better  than  for  each  of  us  to  take  the 
wrong  course,  and  then  come  back  to  travel 
the  same  distance  along  the  right  one." 

"  But  how  will  we  manaf^e  it?"  asked  Her- 


120  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

bert,  who  was  not  well  pleased  with  the 
proposal,  despite  his  confidence  in  Nick's 
judgment. 

"In  the  first  jjlace,  we  shall  not  be  far 
apart  after  going  a  long  way,  unless  there 
is  a  more  abrupt  divergence  than  we  see 
here.  If  I  reach  the  spring,  as  I  feel  sure 
I  shall,  I  will  call  to  you  and  you  can  join 
me." 

"By  riding  back  here  to  this  fork — what 
will  I  gain  by  that  ? " 

"  I  think  you  can  save  considerable  distance 
by  riding  across  the  intervening  ground, 
though,  if  that  can't  be  done,  and  you  have  to 
double  on  your  own  trail,  it  will  be  but  one, 
instead  of  two,  who  has  to  do  it.  If  we  keep 
together,  and  both  go  wrong,  we  will  have 
double  work,  while  by  dividing,  one  is  as  sure 
to  be  right  as  the  other  is  to  go  astray  ;  conse- 
quently half  the  labor  will  be  saved." 

"  What  about  the  pack  horses  ?  " 

"  I  guess  they  would  better  go  with  me." 

Herbert  laughed. 

"  That  shows  your  faith  in  your  own  theory, 
but  I  am  willing,  though  just  as  sure  as  you. 


AN   UlS-EXPECTED   SIGNAL.  121 

that  you  are  putting  extra  duty  on  the  ani- 
mals." 

"When  I  strike  the  spring,"  continued 
Nick,  with  a  smile,  "I  will  give  a  whistle, 
which  you  will  understand  as  a  call  for  you, 
and  you  can  cut  across  lots  or  gallop  back  to 
this  i^oint  and  follow  after  me." 

"At  any  rate,"  added  Herbert,  "I  don't  see 
that  the  matter  is  very  important,  for  we  shall 
not  be  separated  long.  I  will  whistle  to  j'ou 
when  I  reach  the  spring.  Since  I  have  only 
Jill,  I  will  press  on  faster  than  jou,  and  save 
you  extra  work." 

With  this  laughing  parting,  each  set  out  to 
verify  his  own  theory,  confident  that  they 
would  soon  come  together  again. 

Nick  was  inclined  to  force  his  pony  into  a 
gallop,  for  the  trail  was  so  free  from  obstruc- 
tions that  this  could  have  been  easily  done, 
but  he  was  afraid  it  would  disorganize  the 
pack  horses.  Their  loads  were  not  heavy  and 
were  generally  fixed  so  securely  in  place  that 
they  could  gallop  whenever  required,  without 
risk  to  the  property  ;  but  the  goods  had  been 
hastily  adjusted,  when  on  the  other  side  of  the 


122  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

ridge,  and  were  likely  to  become  disarranged, 
for  the  animals  were  so  trained  to  follow  their 
leader  that  when  he  increased  his  pace  they 
were  quite  sure  to  do  the  same. 

"I  knew  I  was  right!"  exclaimed  Nick, 
with  a  laugh,  after  riding  a  fourth  of  a  mile, 
as  he  came  upon  a  broad,  deep,  crystalline 
spring,  which  warranted  all  the  praise  the 
Texans  had  bestowed  on  it ;  "I  don't  see  why 
Herbert  was  so  positive ;  I'  ve  got  him  this 
time,  and  he'll  have  to  own  up." 

As  agreed  upon,  he  placed  the  tip  of  his 
finger  and  thumb  against  his  tongue  to  emit 
the  signal ;  but,  before  he  could  do  so,  the 
very  same  call  reached  him  from  the  foot  of 
the  hills.  Herbert  had  summoned  him.  to 
retrace  his  steps  to  the  fork  and  join  him  ! 

"What  under  the  sun  can  that  mean?" 
asked  the  amazed  Nick,  holding  his  thumb 
and  finger  in  front  of  his  mouth,  undecided 
what  to  do. 


N 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A   STRANGE  ABSENCE. 

ICK  RIBSAM  might  well  be  puzzled. 
Just  aliead  and  on  bis  right  was  the  most 
enchanting  natural  sj^iring  of  water  that  he  had 
ever  beheld.  It  was  circular  in  shape,  fully 
two  yards  in  diameter  and  ten  or  twelve  inches 
deep  in  the  middle.  From  several  places  on 
the  bottom  the  water  bubbled  up  in  a  way 
that  tumbled  the  sand  in  miniature  fountains, 
which  hid  the  current  flinging  the  particles  up- 
ward from  below. 

This  basin  was  so  clear  that  at  first  sight  one 
was  doubtful  whether  there  was  any  water 
there  at  all ;  but  the  bubbling  sand  and  the 
vigorous  stream  flowing  away  and  across  the 
trail,  and  losing  itself  among  the  rocks  and 
vegetation,  removed  all  question  on  that 
point. 

The  spring  was  partly  shaded  by  a  black 
bowlder  leaning  so  far  over  that  it  seemed  on 


124  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

the  point  of  tumbling  in,  while  the  scene  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  was  rougher  than  any- 
through  which  they  had  passed  since  crossing 
the  ridge. 

Domestic  as  well  as  wild  animals  are  quick 
to  discern  the  presence  of  water,  and  Nick  had 
seen  proof  in  the  actions  of  Jack  that  he 
knew  he  was  near  the  spring,  some  time  before 
he  himself  knew  it.  The  three  were  so  pleased 
that  they  hastened  their  pace,  and  crowded 
their  noses  into  the  cool  element,  of  which  they 
drank  with  an  enjoyment  beyond  description. 

Tlie  youth  meant  to  have  a  deep  refreshing 
draught  himself,  but  he  had  not  the  heart  to 
check  the  ponies.  He  could  wait  better  than 
they  ;  they  were  not  unclean  animals,  and  tlie 
spring  would  quickly  free  itself  of  all  traces 
of  the  contact  with  their  silken  noses. 

But  while  Jack  was  stretching  his  head 
downward  and  standing  with  one  fore  leg  bent 
at  the  knee,  the  better  to  reach  the  Avater,  his 
rider  prepared  to  give  the  call  for  Herbert  to 
join  him,  when  he  was  taken  all  aback  by 
catching  precisely  the  same  signal  from  his 
friend. 


A   STRANGE   ABSENCE.  125 

There  could  be  no  mistake  about  it  :  he  had 
heard  it  too  ofteu  to  confound  it  with  any- 
other  sound. 

He  had  noticed,  while  riding  along  the  trail, 
that  the  divergence  became  more  pronounced, 
thus  separating  him  from  Herbert  by  a  greater 
distance  than  he  had  anticipated.  As  nearly 
as  he  could  judge  from  the  whistle,  his  friend 
was  nearly,  if  not  quite  an  eighth  of  a  mile 
away,  and  between  them  the  slope  was  so 
filled  with  rocks,  bowlders,  and  stunted  vegeta- 
tion that  travelling  with  a  horse  was  out  of  the 
question.  A  trained  mountaineer  would  find 
the  task  anything  but  an  easy  one.  Herbert, 
therefore,  must  turn  squarely  about,  and  ride 
back  to  the  fork  in  the  trail,  thus  travelling 
double  the  distance  made  by  Xick  and  the 
pack  horses. 

A  moment's  reflection  convinced  the  latter 
that  Herbert  had  made  a  natural  mistake. 
The  stream,  winding  its  way  in  that  direction, 
probably  formed  a  pool  near  the  other  part,  so 
large  and  clear  and  beautiful  that  the  youth 
mistook' it  for  the  spring  itself. 

"But  he  will  see  his  error,"  reflected  Nick, 


126  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

sending  out  tlie  ringing  blast  by  which  he  had 
summoned  his  friend  many  a  time;  "he 
doesn't  like  to  own  up,  but,  when  he  looks 
upon  this,  he  can't  help  himself." 

Nick  was  convinced  that  there  were  few 
such  natural  springs  in  that  section  of  Texas, 
though  similar  ones  are  found  in  plenty  fur- 
ther east  and  among  some  of  the  mountainous 
portions. 

The  horses  having  had  their  fill,  stepped 
back,  and  Nick  began  his  preparations  for 
spending  the  night.  Everything  was  taken 
from  the  backs  and  heads  of  the  animals  and 
placed  in  a  pile  on  the  ground  near  at  hand, 
while  they  were  left  to  crop  the  grass,  which 
was  green  and  quite  luxuriant  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  stream. 

By  the  time  everything  was  complete,  dark- 
ness had  come.  The  animals  were  not  tethered, 
for  there  was  little  to  be  feared  of  their  running 
away,  unless  interfered  with  by  outsiders,  of 
which  no  one  dreamed. 

Nick  now  began  to  look  for  the  coming  of 
Herbert.  Both  jjaths  were  so  easily  travelled 
that  he    ought  to    api^ear  in  the  course  of 


A   STRANGE   ABSENCE.  127 

twenty  minutes,  and  a  full  half  hour  had  gone 

by. 

"I  wonder  whether  anything  could  have 
happened  to  him,"  said  Xick,  gazing  down 
the  trail  in  the  gathering  gloom,  and  feeling  a 
renewal  of  the  fears  that  troubled  him  so  much 
in  the  afternoon. 

lie  once  more  whistled  with  the  power  of  a 
steam  engine,  and  paused  for  the  response.  It 
was  impossible,  as  he  had  learned  long  before, 
that  Herbert  should  have  made  his  way  on 
horseback  across  the  space  separating  the 
trails,  and  he,  therefore,  gave  his  attention  to 
the  route  over  which  he  himself  had  just 
travelled. 

Nothing  was  to  be  seen  of  his  friend,  and 
the  suspicion  came  to  Xick  that  possibly  he 
was  pouting  because  of  his  mistake,  but  the 
thought  was  dismissed  the  next  minute  as  un- 
worthy of  Herbert,  who,  if  disposed  in  that 
direction,  was  in  no  mood  to  do  so  at  the  pres- 
ent time. 

"  But  where  can  he  be  ?"  repeated  Nick,  re- 
calling the  preceding  winter,  when  he  went 
astray  in  the  pursuit  of  the  second  moose  and 


128  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

caused  himself  and  Pierre  Ardeau  no  end  of 
worriment  of  mind.  As  the  darl^ness  in- 
creased, Niclv  Ribsam  became  aware  of  another 
discomforting  fact.  Tlie  wind  was  beginning 
to  blow,  and  the  cold  was  rapidly  increasing. 
The  norther  proi^hesied  by  the  Texans  was  at 
hand. 

This  being  evident,  he  quickly  prepared  for 
it.  He  had  gathered  a  quantity  of  limbs  and 
twigs,  but  they  were  unlighted,  he  intending 
to  await  the  arrival  of  his  friend  Herbert ;  but 
he  now  started  the  fire  as  quickly  as  possible, 
for,  aside  from  its  needed  warmth,  it  would  do 
much  to  dispel  the  gloom  oppressing  him. 

Few  who  have  not  experienced  a  Texan 
norther  can  understand  their  fierce  sudden- 
ness. I  was  once  riding  in  a  stage  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  State,  the  day  was  mild  and 
balmy,  and  a  middle-aged  gentleman  from  New 
York  sat  in  the  seat  with  me.  His  overcoat 
was  in  his  trunk,  which  was  strapped  at  the 
rear  of  the  stnge.  We  were  talking,  when  all 
at  once  a  norther  came  howling  across  the 
country.  My  friend  shouted  to  the  driver  to 
unstrap  his  trunk,  so  as  to  allow  him  to  un- 


A   STRANGE   ABSENCE.  129 

lock  it.  The  driver  promptly  obeyed,  the 
gentleman  leaping  out  of  the  vehicle,  hastily 
unfastening  his  luggage,  and  bringing  out  the 
extra  garment.  Only  a  few  minutes  were  oc- 
cupied, and  yet  his  teeth  were  chattering  and 
he  was  shivering  and  blue  with  cold  while 
hurriedly  donning  his  greatcoat. 

A  young  man  in  Dallas  told  me  he  was 
standing  on  the  ojiposite  side  of  the  street  in 
his  shirt  sleeves  ;  a  norther  arrived  ;  he  struck 
diagonally  for  his  home  on  a  dead  run  ;  that 
home  was  less  than  two  blocks  off  ;  he  insisted 
that  if  he  had  been  delayed  on  the  way  by  so 
much  as  a  fall  he  would  have  frozen  to  death  ; 
but,  somehow  or  other,  I  think  he  exaggerated 
things. 

But  by  the  time  Xick  Ribsam  had  the  lire 
going,  he  was  shivering.  lie  gathered  his 
heavy  blanket  closely  about  him  and  sat  down 
near  the  blaze,  but  was  still  cold.  The  ponies 
felt  it.  They  shrunk  against  the  rocks  and 
wherever  they  could  find  any  shelter,  and 
looked  dismal  and  wretched.  No  blankets 
had  been  provided  for  them,  but  the  luggage 
of  the  entire  party  was  at  command  and  Nick's 


130  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

sympathy  led  him  to  appropriate  the  articles 
without  a  moment's  hesitation.  It  was  a  kind 
act  and  did  much  for  the  comfort  of  the  dumb 
beasts. 

What  about  Strubell  and  Lattin  ?  They 
must  suffer,  but  they  were  acclimated  and 
would  find  some  means  of  warding  off  the  full 
effort  of  the  cutting  winds,  without  the  help 
of  extra  clothing. 

But  poor  Herbert!  Nick  fairly  gasped  as 
he  thought  of  him.  He  was  in  his  ordinary 
costume,  and  of  course  had  not  started  a  fire. 
He  would  not  be  likely  to  do  so,  since  he  was 
on  his  way  to  join  Nick  and  would  depend  on 
him  for  everything  of  that  sort. 

"Heaven  save  him,"  prayed  Nick,  "but  if 
he  doesn't  arrive  soon  he  must  perish.  Hurry ^ 
Herbert  .^  "  he  called  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

In  his  anxiety,  Nick  started  down  the  path 
with  the  extra  blanket  flung  over  his  arm, 
while  he  was  so  swathed  in  his  own  that  he 
resembled  an  Indian  chief,  striding  along  the 
trail. 

Night  had  fully  come,  and  the  sky,  which 
had  been  quite  clear  during  most  of  the  day. 


A   STRANGE   ABSENCE.  131 

was  overcast,  so  that  he  conld  see  but  a  short 
distance  in  any  direction.  Still  he  hurried  on, 
confident  every  minute  that  the  forms  of  Her- 
bert and  Jill  would  loom  to  view  in  the  dark- 
ness. 

But  rod  after  rod  was  passed,  and  they  did 
not  appear.  Suddenly  Nick  stooped  down 
and  placed  his  ear  against  the  earth. 

"  I  hear  his  pony's  hoofs!"  he  exclaimed, 
raising  his  head  and  peering  forward,  "but 
why  is  he  so  long  on  the  way  ? " 

Api)lying  his  ear  again,  the  startling  fact 
was  evident :  the  sound  of  the  horse's  hoofs 
was  fainter  than  before.  The  animal  was 
receding  instead  of  approaching. 

"  Something  has  gone  wrong  with  the  poor 
fellow,  and  what  can  I  do  to  help  him?" 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CAUGHT   FOUL, 

"TVriCK  RIBSAM  was  partly  right  in  his 
-i- 1  supposition  about  his  missing  friend, 
Herbert  Watrous. 

That  young  gentleman  rode  along  the  lower 
trail,  as  confident  as  anyone  could  be  that  he 
was  right  and  Nick  was  wrong.  He  did  not 
press  Jill,  for  the  pony  had  done  considerable 
hard  riding  during  the  day,  but  he  arrived  at 
the  end  of  his  brief  journey  a  little  in  advance 
of  the  other. 

"I  knew  it,"  he  said  at  the  moment  of 
catching  sight  of  the  pool  of  clear  water, 
which,  like  the  spring,  was  slightly  to  the 
right  of  the  path  ;  "  there  aren't  many  brighter 
boys  than  Nick,  but  he  makes  his  mistake 
once  in  a  while,  like  other  folks." 

And  then,  as  his  pony  walked  forward  to 
drink,  his  rider  gave  out  the  signal  intended 
to  summon  Nick  to  the  spot. 

133 


CAUGHT  FOUL.  133 

"  He  will  feel  cheap  when  he  finds  he  is 
wrong,  but  he  is  manly  enough  to  own  up  to 
it,  and  admit  that  some  folks  know " 

Sitting  astride  of  his  animal  while  he  was 
helping  himself  to  a  drink,  Herbert  made  good 
use  of  his  eyes.  Just  then  he  observed  that, 
though  the  pool  resembled  a  natural  spring,  it 
was  not.  It  was  fed  by  a  stream  pouring  into 
the  upper  portion,  as  large  as  that  which 
formed  the  outlet,  while  there  was  no  bubbling 
from  the  bottom. 

"  Whew  !  "  whistled  the  astonished  youth  ; 
''  it  begins  to  look  as  if  it  wasn't  Nick  that 
had  made  a  slip — hello  !  " 

At  that  moment  the  call  came  ringing  down 
from  the  upper  trail.  The  matter  was  settled. 
Nick  had  struck  the  right  spot,  and  all  Her- 
bert could  do  was  to  ride  back  along  the  path 
to  the  fork  and  join  him. 

He  was  on  the  point  of  starting  back,  w^hen 
it  occurred  to  him  that  it  might  be  possible  to 
shorten  the  distance  by  cutting  across  the  neck 
of  land,  as  talked  about  before  they  i)arted. 
The  promise  of  being  able  to  do  so  looked  more 
encouraging  from  below  than  above. 


134  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

Slipping  down  from  the  saddle,  Herbert 
began  picking  liis  way  tlirongli  the  rough  por- 
tion, and  advanced  several  rods  before  reaching 
a  section  where  a  horse  would  find  the  travel- 
ling diflicult. 

"He  could  make  his  way  this  far  easily 
enough,"  he  said,  halting  and  looking  back, 
"  but  it  doesn't  seem  so  easy  further  on." 

He  advanced  more  carefully,  for  he  was 
beginning  to  doubt  the  feasibility  of  the  plan. 
It  will  be  readily  seen  that  while  he  was  so 
uncertain  as  to  the  best  course,  he  was  consum- 
ing more  time  than  he  suspected.  Night  was 
rapidly  closing  in,  and  he  was  still  debating 
what  was  best  to  do,  when  he  noticed  the 
increasing    cold, 

"It's  the  norther,  sure  enough!"  he 
exclaimed,  starting  back  to  mount  his  horse  ; 
"a  little  late,  but  it's  getting  there  all  the 
same." 

In  fact  it  "got  there"  with  such  emphasis 
that,  before  Herbert  could  force  his  way  to  the 
X)ool  of  water,  he  thought  he  would  freeze  to 
death.  There  was  no  need  of  answering  the 
signal  of  Nick,  and,  catching  sight  of  the  out- 


CAUGHT   FOUL.  135 

lines  of  what  seemed  a  mass  of  rocks  in  the 
darkness,  lie  made  for  them,  intent  only  on 
securing  shelter  for  the  moment,  or  until  the 
cutting  wind  abated  enough  to  allow  him  to 
venture  out  to  recover  his  horse. 

Meanwhile,  the  latter,  who  had  had  more 
than  one  previous  experience  with  northers, 
was  trying  to  help  himself  somewhat  after  the 
same  fashion  as  his  master.  Since  the  arctic 
breath  from  the  distant  Rocky  Mountains 
came  from  the  north,  Jill  began  edging  away 
from  it  by  taking  the  back  trail,  just  as  cattle 
drift  before  a  long  continued  and  violent  storm 
of  sleet  and  snow. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  pony  held 
any  jDurpose  of  deserting  his  master.  He  had 
never  tried  to  do  anything  of  the  kind,  and  it 
would  be  injustice  to  accuse  him  in  the  present 
instance  ;  but  the  instinct  of  self-preservation 
was  as  strong  in  him  as  in  any  other  animal, 
and  he  saw  no  other  way  of  lessening  his  suf- 
ferings than  by  edging  along  the  back  trail. 

AVhen  he  reached  the  fork  where  the  two 
paths  separated,  he  may  have  recalled  his  situ- 
ation and  he  may  not.     Be  that  as  it  may, 


136  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

it  was  too  much  to  expect  him  to  face  about 
and  advance  in  the  teeth  of  the  norther,  before 
Avhich  he  had  retreated  so  far,  unless  he  ^Yas 
compelled  to  do  so.  No  one  was  there  to  urge 
him  with  spur,  and  instead,  therefore,  of  turn- 
ing his  course,  he  kept  on. 

He  had  moved  so  reluctantly  to  this  point 
that  he  did  not  reach  it  until  Nick  Ribsam 
knelt  down  a  short  distance  off  and  put  his  ear 
to  the  ground.  Bj^  this  time,  too,  it  probably 
struck  Jill  that  he  was  moving  more  slowly 
than  w^as  wise.  He  therefore  struck  a  quicker 
gait,  speedily  passing  bej'ond  hearing  in  the 
gloom,  and  leaving  Nick  puzzled,  mystified, 
and  anxious  beyond  expression. 

All  this  time,  Herbert  Watrous  never 
dreamed  that  his  pony  was  steadily  increasing 
the  distance  between  them.  If  he  had  known 
it,  he  could  have  taken  no  steps  to  prevent  the 
mishap,  for  his  whole  mental  and  physical 
energies  were  bent  toward  saving  himself  from 
j)erishing  with  the  fearful  cold. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  fortunate 
than  his  finding  a  small  cavern.  It  was  really 
providential  that  he  should  stumble  upon  it. 


CAUGHT   FOUL.  137 

and  he  would  have  fared  ill  had  he  failed  to 
do  so.  It  was  of  slight  extent,  being  no  more 
than  a  dozen  feet  in  depth,  and  of  such  narrow 
compass  that  he  bumped  his  head  or  struck  his 
limbs  against  the  sides  at  every  movement  he 
made. 

Crouching  in  the  furthest  corner,  he  huddled 
himself  together  as  best  he  could,  and  con- 
cluded there  was  hope  of  seeing  the  thing 
through,  provided   it  got  no  worse. 

"  If  it  drops  another  degree,  I'm  a  goner  !" 
he  muttered,  as  well  as  he  could  between  his 
chattering  teeth.  "  I  don't  see  what's  the  use 
of  having  such  weather  as  this  in  Texas,  when 
we  can  get  all  we  want  at  the  North  Pole.  It 
beats  anything  I  ever  heard  of  in  Maine  ;  I'm 
glad  Nick  has  the  blankets,  for  he  must  need 
them." 

For  fully  two  hours  Herbert  shrank  in  his 
place,  in  the  cavity  among  the  rocks.  During 
most  of  that  time,  the  wind  moaned  around 
the  front,  as  if  seeking  him  out  that  it  might 
freeze  his  very  marrow.  The  hardest  thing 
for  him  was  to  comprehend  that  he  was 
actually  in   Texas,    where  but  a  brief  while 


138  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

before  the  temperature  was  like  a  poet's 
dream. 

There  was  one  thing,  however,  which  he  com- 
prehended very  clearly.  If  he  stayed  where 
he  was  much  longer,  he  would  never  come  out 
alive.  He  had  not  heard  the  second  signal  of 
Nick,  but  was  confident  that  he  was  able  to 
take  care  of  himself,  with  his  almost  unlimited 
supply  of  blankets. 

There  was  one  way  of  warming  himself : 
that  was  by  vigorous  exercise.  That  might 
not  answer  perfectly,  but  it  must  help  matters. 
He,  therefore,  crept  out  of  his  refuge,  and 
began  making  his  way  down  to  the  pool  near 
which  he  had  left  his  pony.  The  gloom  was 
too  profound  for  him  to  see  anything  dis- 
tinctly, and  he  came  within  a  hair  of  pitching 
headlong  into  the  water,  along  the  edges  of 
which  a  thin  coating  of  ice  had  formed. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Herbert  was  gratified 
to  notice  a  decided  rising  of  the  temperature. 
The  relief  was  great,  but  not  enough  Avholly  to 
relieve  his  sufferings.  He  called  his  pony  by 
name,  but  of  course  there  was  no  response. 

"He  has  been  more  sensible  than  me,"  he 


CAUGHT   FOUL.  1-^9 

concluded,  "for  lie  has  gone  to  the  spring, 
where  Nick  has  started  a  fire  for  him  and 
made  them  all  comfortable  while  I  suf- 
fered." 

The  reader  need  not  be  reminded  that  once 
again  Herbert  was  off  in  his  reckoning. 

He  spent  the  next  ten  minutes  in  jumping 
about,  swinging  his  arms,  and  going  through 
the  most  violent  gymnastics  possible.  The 
effect  was  good.  His  benumbed  limbs  became 
supple,  the  chilled  surface  began  glowing,  and 
a  grateful  warmth  crept  through  his  entire 
system. 

It  would  have  been  folly  to  try  to  reach  Nick 
by  working  across  the  neck  of  bowlders  and 
obstructions,  and  he  started  down  the  trail  in 
the  direction  taken  by  Jill,  though  he  was  a 
long  way  behind  him. 

This  required  no  little  care,  even  though  he 
was  following  a  distinctly  marked  trail.  In 
the  darkness  he  received  several  severe  bruises, 
besides  tumbling  flat  on  his  face  more  than 
once.  But  he  kept  his  wits  about  him,  and 
made  sure  that  he  did  not  pass  the  fork,  where 
it  was  necessary  to  turn  off  and  follow  the 


140  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

trail  taken  by  Nick,  and  whicli  had  proven  to 
be  the  right  one. 

Here  it  was  necessary  to  use  still  greater 
care  than  before,  for  the  route  was  strange  to 
him,  and  might  contain  dangerous  pitfalls. 

"Nick  will  wonder  what's  become  of  me," 
he  reflected,  maintaining  as  lively  a  pace  as  he 
dared,  "  but  I  hope  he  hasn't  worried — halloo  ! 
that's  good!"  he  added,  as  he  caught  the 
twinkle  of  a  fire  ;  "  that's  where  I  will  find  the 
good  fellow,  who  has  known  enough  to  take 
care  of  himself  and  the  ponies,  and  would  have 
done  the  same  with  me  if  I  hadn't  been  so 
foolish." 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

AN   ASTOUNDING   DISCOVERY. 

HERBERT  noticed,  as  he  went  forward, 
that  the  fire  was  sinking  so  low  as  to 
show  that  it  had  not  been  looked  after  for 
some  time.  Backed  against  a  bowlder  near  the 
spring,  it  was  well  protected  from  the  wind, 
but  had  been  fanned  into  a  blaze  that  must 
have  diffused  a  good  deal  of  warmth  in  all 
directions. 

The  first  mild  surprise  came  to  the  youth 
when,  on  coming  close  to  the  smouldering 
camp  fire,  he  failed  to  see  Nick.  He  expected 
to  find  him  resting  comfortably  near  at  hand, 
swathed  in  one  of  the  thick  blankets  capable 
of  shutting  out  every  kind  of  cold  except  that 
of  a  nortlier,  which  will  force  its  way  through 
almost  anything. 

Stepping  forward  into  the  light  of  the  fire, 
Herbert  looked  inquiringly  around  in  the 
gloom,  and    called    the  name  of    his    friend, 


142  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

repeating  it  several  times  with  increasing  loud- 
ness, but  with  no  more  result  than  in  the  first 
instance.  Then  the  youth  started  out  to  inves- 
tigate for  himself. 

The  discovery  that  followed  was  startling. 
Not  only  Nick  Ribsam,  but  his  horse,  the  two 
pack  animals  and  the  pony  belonging  to  Her- 
bert, were  missing  !  They  were  nowhere  in 
the  neighborhood. 

The  youth  was  knocked  almost  breathless. 
He  came  back  beside  the  smouldering  fire  and 
tried  to  reason  connectedly  over  the  situation. 

"  This  is  ahead  of  everything  yet,"  he  said 
to  himself  ;  "  it  begins  to  look  as  if  all  actions 
are  tinged  with  mystery.  Nick  and  I  couldn't 
understand  why  Strubell  and  Lattin  should 
act  as  they  did  this  afternoon,  but  I  am  not 
half  as  much  mystified  over  that  as  over  this. 
Nick  and  all  the  horses  gone.  What  can  it 
mean?" 

"All  that  is  left  me,  besides  my  weapon,"  he 
added  with  grim  feeling,  "is  my  field  glass, 
but  I  don't  need  that  to  see  what  a  fix  I'm  in, 
and  yet  I  am  more  worried  about  Nick  than 
myself " 


AN   ASTOUNDING  DISCOVERY.  143 

He  tliouglit  he  heard  a  footfall  from  the 
direction  of  the  fork  of  the  trails.  Grasping 
his  Winchester  he  moved  silently  back  in  the 
gloom,  where  he  could  not  be  seen  by  any 
lurking  Indian  or  white  enemy. 

"  It  is  Xick  returning,"  was  his  thought,  as 
he  recognized  the  hoofs  of  an  animal. 

The  next  minute  his  own  pony,  saddled  and 
bridled,  as  when  he  last  saw  him,  walked  for- 
ward in  the  firelight  and  uttered  a  faint 
whinny  of  pleasure  at  sight  of  his  master. 

"Heaven  bless  you  I"  was  the  grateful 
exclamation  of  Herbert  as  he  met  him  and 
patted  his  neck  ;  "I  feared  you  were  gone  for 
good ;  but,  Jill,  how  I  wish  you  could  talk 
that  you  might  tell  me  all  about  Nick  and  the 
other  horses." 

To  say  the  least,  the  pony  had  behaved  him- 
self in  a  singular  fashion.  I  have  told  how  he 
was  driven  along  by  the  norther  until  he  passed 
beyond  the  fork  in  the  trails,  Nick  Ribsani 
catching  the  faint  footfalls  as  he  applied  his 
ear  to  the  ground,  which  told  him  the  beast 
was  receding. 

No  doubt  there  crept  into  the  brain  of  this 


144  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

sagacious  animal  a  conviction  tliat  he  was  not 
doing  precisely  tlie  right  thing  in  wandering 
away  from  the  spot  where  his  master  had  lel't 
him,  and  where,  of  course,  he  expected  to  find 
him  on  his  return. 

In  addition,  the  norther,  that  had  brought 
about  this  breach  of  confidence,  subsided  to 
that  extent  that  it  was  no  hardship)  to  face  it. 
This  subsidence,  however,  did  not  reach  a 
degree  that  suited  Jill  until  he  had  drifted  off 
for  a  considerable  while.  Then  he  began  edg- 
ing backward,  and,  possibly  because  he  divined 
the  intentions  of  Herbert,  he  followed  the  main 
trail  until  he  joined  his  master  at  the  camp 
fire. 

Among  the  many  extraordinary  incidents 
which  attended  the  tour  of  Nick  and  Herbert 
through  the  Southwest,  probably  there  was 
none  more  remarkable  than  the  action  of  the 
pony  Jill  and  the  consequences  flowing  there- 
from. He  drifted  away  from  the  scene  of 
several  singular  events  and  remained  absent 
until  they  were  finished.  Then  he  came  back, 
and  had  he  been  a  little  later  or  earlier,  the 
whole  face  of  history  might  have  been  changed 


AN   ASTOUNDING   DISCOVERY.  145 

— that  is,  so  far  as  it  related  to  tlie  youths  I 
liave  named. 

Having  regained  his  pony,  Herbert  was  as 
much  perplexed  as  ever.  It  was  an  invalua- 
ble piece  of  good  fortune  thus  securing  his 
horse,  for  a  person  on  the  plains  without  a 
good  steed  is  in  the  situation  of  the  sailor 
without  boat  or  ship  on  the  ocean  ;  but  he  was 
totall}'-  at  a  loss  how  to  proceed. 

The  most  obvious  course  Avas  to  stay  where 
he  was  until  morning,  or  until  some  kind  of 
knowledge  came  to  him.  The  Texans  had 
promised  to  join  him  and  Nick  by  daylight 
and  probabl}"  before,  and  it  would  not  require 
them  long  to  decide  upon  the  best  liue  to  follow. 
If  Nick  had  set  out  along  the  lower  trail  to 
search  for  him,  he  must  have  learned  of  his 
mistake  before  this ;  and,  though  it  was 
curious  that  the  friends  had  not  met,  the 
younger  ought  to  return  to  his  own  camp 
lire  whither  he  had  summoned  Herbert  hours 
before. 

The  disquieting  factor  in  the  situation  was 
the  absence  of  the  animals,  and  the  return  of 
his  own  ;  for  Herbert  could  not  be  expected  to 

10 


146  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

know  all    about    the    action    of    Jill    in  his 
encounter  with  the  norther. 

He  soon  became  satisfied  that  a  long  wait 
was  before  him.  Accordingly,  the  saddle  and 
bridle  were  removed  from  the  pony,  that  he 
might  be  free  to  crop  the  grass  within  reach, 
while  his  owner  spent  considerable  time  in 
gathering  wood  with  which  to  keep  the  fire 
going.  There  was  only  a  small  supply  of  fuel 
on  hand,  and  this  work  was  necessary,  there- 
fore, on  his  part. 

The  weather  had  moderated  to  the  extent 
that  it  was  much  the  same  as  before  the 
norther  swept  through  the  hills.  The  blaze 
was  not  needed,  except  for  its  aid  in  dispelling 
the  oppressive  gloom. 

Herbert  was  seated  near  the  fire,  and  had 
just  looked  at  his  watch  and  seen  that  it  was 
past  eleven  o'clock,  when  he  was  alarmed  by 
several  discharges  of  rifles.  They  were  dull, 
but  loud  enough  to  prevent  any  mistake  as  to 
their  nature.  The  direction,  too,  was  easily 
recognized  as  being  from  the  other  side  of  the- 
ridge. 

"  Nick  and  I  were  right,"  he  said,  listening 


AX    ASTOUNDING   DISCOVERY.  147 

with  a  rapidly  beating  heart;  "  Strubell  and 
Lattin  are  liaving  a  fight  with  the  horse 
tliieves — there  they  go  again  !  " 

Two  reports  in  rapid  snccession  were  lieard, 
and  then  came  a  third  and  fourth,  followed 
after  an  interval  of  several  minutes  by  other 
dropping  shots.  These  were  noticed,  now  and 
then,  during  the  next  hour,  after  which,  so  far 
as  Herbert  could  judge,  everything  remained 
still. 

Beyond  question,  he  was  right  in  his  belief 
that  a  lively  scrimmage  had  taken  place  be- 
tween Bell  Rickard,  Jim-John  the  half-breed, 
and  their  companion  on  one  side,  and  the 
Texans  on  the  other.  As  to  the  result,  no  one 
could  tell  who  was  not  present,  until  some  one 
of  the  participants  was  seen. 

Though  much  disturbed  by  his  fear  that  the 
cowboys  had  suffered,  a  certain  pleasure  came 
to  Herbert  at  tliis  proof  of  the  genuine  hos- 
tility between  his  friends  and  the  rogues.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  he  had  had  trouble- 
some misgivings  in  this  respect.  He  felt  there 
had  been  reason  to  doubt  the  honesty  of 
Strubell  and  Lattin,  and  that,  despite  appear- 


148  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

ances,  an  understanding  existed  between  tliem 
and  the  criminals  who  were  following  them  so 
jiersistently. 

The  reports  of  the  firearms  disproved  all 
this  and  showed  beyond  question  that  the 
Texans  were  good  men,  ready  to  defend  their 
property  and  the  youths  with  them,  no  matter 
how  great  the  risks  to  themselves. 

Herbert  had  decided  to  stay  where  he  was 
until  morning  or  some  news  of  his  friends 
reached  him,  and  wait  he  did  through  the 
almost  endless  night.  Toward  daylight,  he 
fell  into  a  dreamful  sleep,  which  lasted  until 
the  sun  was  above  the  horizon.  Then  he 
started  up  and  stared  around,  a  minute  or  two 
passing  before  he  could  recall  all  the  incidents 
of  the  preceding  night. 

His  horse  had  risen  from  the  ground  and 
was  cropping  the  grass  ;  the  fire  had  smoul- 
dered to  ashes,  and  the  clear  morning  was 
as  balmy  and  pleasant  as  its  predecessor. 
Neither  Nick  nor  the  Texans  were  in  sight ; 
but,  determined  to  find  out  something  for 
himself,  he  hurriedly  saddled  and  bridled  his 
pony  and  galloped  down  the  trail. 


AN   ASTOUNDING   DISCOVERY.  149 

"Tliey  promised  to  be  here  before  this/'  he 
said,  referring  to  Strubell  and  Lattiii  ;  "and 
they  would  have  kept  their  word,  if  they  had 
the  power  to  do  so.  One,  and  perhaps  both, 
have  been  killed,  or  so  badly  wounded  that 
they  cannot  leave  the  battle  ground." 

At  the  forks,  the  plain  was  so  open  to  the 
westward  that  he  reined  up  and  raised  his 
field  glass  to  his  eye.  He  had  detected  mov- 
ing bodies  in  the  distance,  and  the  first  view 
through  the  telescope  showed  them  with  great 
clearness. 

A  small  party  of  horsemen  w^ere  moving 
northward,  their  animals  on  a  walk.  While 
studying  them  closely,  Herbert's  attention  was 
drawn  to  one  in  particular.  He  was  riding  on 
the  extreme  right,  so  that  he  was  the  nearest 
to  him  and  was  in  plain  sight. 

A  brief  study  of  this  figure  left  no  doubt  of 
the  astounding  fact  that  he  was  no  other  than 
the  missing  Nick  Ribsam  himself  ! 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   SOLITAIIY    PURSUER. 

HERBERT  held  Lis  field  glass  to  liis  eyes 
for  several  minutes,  while  lie  carefully 
studied  the  group  of  horsemen  out  upon  the 
plain.  There  were  four  of  them,  beside  the 
two  pack  animals,  all  apparently  well  mounted, 
and  the  clear  sunlight  brought  them  into  clear 
relief.  Their  ponies  were  walking  slowly,  not 
exactly  north,  but  bearing  a  little  to  the  west, 
so  that  the  general  direction  was  the  same 
as  that  of  our  friends  on  their  way  to  New 
Mexico. 

The  horseman  on  the  right  was  Nick  Rib- 
sam.  Although  the  distance  was  too  great  to 
distinguish  his  features,  the  presence  of  the 
pack  horses  settled  the  question  and  there  was 
no  mistaking  his  personality  :  it  was  he  be- 
yond all  doubt. 

"What  can  be  the  explanation  of  his  pres- 
ence with  them  ?  "  was  the  question  which  the 

150 


THE   SOLITARY   PURSUER.  151 

alarmed  Herbert  asked  himself,  as  he  lowered 
his  glass  and  gazed  absently  in  the  direction, 
while  he  studied  the  most  perplexing  problem 
that  had  yet  presented  itself. 

He  was  impressed  by  the  fact  that  there 
were  three  horsemen  besides  his  friend.  That; 
was  the  number  that  made  up  the  band 
of  Bell  Rickard.  What  more  likely  than 
that  the  three  with  Nick  were  the  horse 
thieves  ? 

In  the  hours  that  had  passed  since  they 
were  seen,  far  out  on  the  plains  to  the  east- 
ward, they  possessed  sufficient  time  to  make 
their  way  through  the  hills  to  this  point. 
Indeed,  they  could  have  done  so  after  the 
sounds  of  firing  ceased  on  the  other  side  of  the 
hills. 

But  this  theory  of  necessity  raised  other 
perplexing  questions.  If  those  three  men 
were  the  criminals,  where  were  Strubell  and 
Lattini  Where  had  they  been,  while  the 
piece  of  treachery  was  pushed  to  a  conclusion  ? 
Was  it  supposable  that  they  had  remained 
idle  and  permitted  Nick's  most  dangerous 
enemy  to  get  him  in  his  power  ? 


152  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

Certainly  not— provided  it  was  in  their 
power  to  prevent  it. 

The  inference  could  not  be  escaped  by 
Herbert  that  the  cowboys  had  been  put  out 
of  the  way  by  their  enemies,  and  that,  there- 
fore, no  further  help  was  to  be  exjiected  from 
them. 

Other  questions  presented  themselves,  which 
would  have  puzzled  a  more  experienced  fron- 
tiersman than  the  young  New  Yorker. 

He  and  Nick  had  discovered  a  second  camp 
fire  the  afternoon  before,  to  the  northward. 
Who  kindled  that,  and  what  was  its  signifi- 
cance ?  Evidently  it  had  some  connection 
with  the  Texans  or  the  criminals,  but  nothing 
could  be  learned  to  indicate  its  nature. 

Were  the  continued  absence  and  silence  of 
the  cowboys  explainable  on  any  other  theory 
than  their  own  overthrow  ? 

These  questions,  however,  were  put  out  of 
sight  by  the  personal  peril  of  Nick  Ribsam, 
and  the  anxiety  of  Herbert  to  do  something 
for  him  without  delay. 

His  first  inclination  was  to  gallop  back  over 
the  trail  to  the  point  where  he  left  Strubell 


THE   SOLITARY   PURSUER.  153 

and  Lattin  the  afternoon  before,  and  tell 
tliem  what  had  taken  place.  They  wete  the 
only  ones  of  whom  aid  could  reasonably  be 
expected. 

But  it  has  been  shown  that  he  feared  the 
worst  concerning  them.  Time  was  precious, 
and  to  cross  the  ridge  and  return  would  take 
a  half  hour,  which  might  be  fatal  to  any  other 
step  toward  helping  Nick.  This  fear  was 
intensified  by  the  discovery  that  the  walk  of 
the  ponies  to  the  westward  had  become  a  gal- 
lop, which  was  fast  widening  the  gap  between 
them  and  the  ridge,  where  the  distressed  Her- 
bert was  trying  to  settle  what  he  ought  to  do, 
if  indeed  he  could  do  anything,  for  his  loved 
friend. 

"I  will  follow  them,''  was  the  conclusion 
which  he  reached  after  briefly  thinking  over 
every  phase  of  the  question  ;  "  I  don't  know 
that  it  will  do  Nick  any  good,  but  it's  just 
what  Tie  would  do  if  our  situations  were 
changed." 

Herbert  was  well  aware  that  in  making  this 
important  decision,  the  only  possible  hope — 
and  it  was  slight  indeed — of  doing  anything 


154  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

for  Nick   was  by   using  tlie  utmost    discre- 
tion. 

One  might  well  ask  what  chance  he  could 
have  against  three  veteran  plainsmen,  who 
were  without  principle  or  honor.  Had  Her- 
bert himself  been  asked  the  question,  he  would 
have  found  it  hard  to  answer.  It  may  be  said 
that  something  in  the  nature  of  a  ransom  sug- 
gested itself,  though  he  was  too  wise  to  build 
much  hoj)e  on  that  means. 

The  one  thing  clear  in  his  mind  was  that  he 
must  hide  his  pursuit,  if  he  could  do  so,  from 
all  knowledge  of  the  abductors.  If  they  pos- 
sessed a  field  glass,  as  he  believed  was  likely, 
they  must  have  discerned  him  at  the  foot  of 
the  hills,  provided  the  instrument  was  turned 
in  that  direction.  Hopeful,  however,  that 
they  had  not  done  so,  he  drew  his  pony  behind' 
a  sheltering  rock,  and  held  his  gaze  fixed  on 
the  horsemen,  who  maintained  their  gallop, 
which  was  fast  taking  them  out  of  his  natural 
field  of  vision. 

He  waited  until  the  fluttering  specks  were 
barely  perceptible  to  the  unassisted  eye,  and 
then  decided  to  follow  the  trail  a  little  way  to 


THE   SOLITARY   PURSUER.  155 

the  southward,  before  wlieeling  to  the  west, 
lie  thought  it  less  likely  that  he  would  be 
noticed,  if  he  left  the  hills  at  a  point  removed 
from  where  he  had  been  waiting  so  long,  and 
where,  had  the  criminals  observed  him,  they 
would  look  for  his  reappearance. 

He  had  ridden  no  more  than  a  hundred 
yards,  when,  to  his  astonishment,  he  came 
upon  the  site  of  the  strangers'  last  encamp- 
ment. It  was  directly  beside  the  trail,  where 
there  was  no  water,  but  the  smouldering  camp 
fire  and  the  cropped  grass  showed  that  several 
hours  had  been  passed  there.  More  important 
than  all  to  the  solitary  pursuer  was  the  finding 
of  the  remains  of  an  antelope  that  had  fur- 
nished the  party  with  a  meal.  Tiie  youth  had 
not  eaten  food  since  the  preceding  noon,  and, 
highly  wrought  as  were  his  feelings,  he  was 
faint  and  in  need  of  nourishment.  Enough 
fragments  were  scattered  about  for  him  to 
obtain  all  he  wanted  in  that  line,  so  long  as  he 
was  not  over  fastidious. 

Since  he  was  hungry  and  there  was  no  say- 
ing when  he  could  secure  another  meal,  Her- 
bert was  wise  in  eating  his  fill.     Then,  when 


156  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

lie  swung  himself  into  the  saddle,  he  looked 
across  the  plain  and  failed  to  see  the  horse- 
men ;  but  the  glass,  being  brought  into  play, 
revealed  them  apparently  in  the  very  rim  of 
the  horizon. 

"Ah,  they  have  changed  their  course  !  "  he 
exclaimed;  "that  looks  as  if  they  had  no 
instrument  after  all  and  think  I  am  beyond 
their  sight." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  beyond  the  level 
stretch  of  country,  another  and  loftier  range 
of  hills  showed  against  the  clear  sky.  The 
horsemen  were  moving  toward  them,  and  Her- 
bert believed  it  was  with  the  purpose  of  mis- 
leading him  or  anyone  that  undertook  to 
follow  them.  True,  the  trail  left  by  them  was 
so  marked  that,  once  taken,  it  could  be  main- 
tained without  trouble  to  the  end  ;  but,  for 
reasons  already  shown,  they  were  warranted 
in  considering  that  improbable. 

The  pursuer,  ho\^ever,  decided  to  take  no 
chances  that  he  could  avoid.  Having  started 
from  the  encampment  of  the  preceding  night, 
he  was  on  their  track  from  the  beginning,  and 
he  meant  to  maintain  it  to  the  end. 


THE   SOLITARY    PURSUER.  157 

Everyone  knows  how  deceptive  distance 
is  in  the  clear  air  of  the  plains.  Objects  that 
appear  but  a  few  miles  away  prove  to  be  two 
and  three  times  as  far.  Herbert  Watrous  had 
been  long  enough  in  Texas  to  learn  this 
fact.  The  range  that  he  had  noticed  the 
afternoon  before  seemed  to  be  within  half 
a  day's  ride,  but  he  was  convinced  it  would 
require  brisk  traveling  to  reach  it  by  sun- 
set. 

Then,  too,  the  plan  he  had  fixed  npon  forced 
him  to  keep  a  long  way  to  the  rear,  so  that,  if 
the  horsemen  struck  the  other  range  by  set  of 
sun,  the  night  w^ould  be  well  along  before  he 
could  come  up  with  them.  There  was  no 
moon  to  help  him,  and  this  might  interfere 
with  his  programme. 

But,  as  may  be  said,  he  had  put  his  hand  to 
the  plough  and  did  not  look  back. 

Contrary,  however,  to  the  maxim,  this  was 
an  unfortunate  mistake  on  his  part ;  for,  had 
he,  after  riding  the  major  part  of  the  distance, 
turned  in  his  saddle  and  surveyed  the  course 
traversed,  he  would  have  made  an  important 
discovery,  and  one,  too,  that  must  have  had  an 


158  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

important  bearing    on    the    almost    hopeless 
enterprise  in  which  he  was  engaged. 

But  Herbert's  interest  was  all  in  front. 
Nick  Ribsam  was  in  the  power  of  his  enemies, 
and  possibly  he  could  aid  him,  though  common 
sense  told  him  that  the  chances  were  as  ninety- 
nine  to  one  that  he  would  end  the  business  by 
X)utting  himself  in  the  same  hole.  A  party  of 
desperate  men  that  were  cunning  enough  to 
make  the  sagacious  Nick  prisoner  were  not 
likely  to  be  annoj^ed  by  anything  Herbert 
Watrous  could  do  to  checkmate  them  ;  but 
youth  is  ardent  and  hopeful,  and  none  of  these 
things  weakened  the  pursuit  of  the  New 
Yorker. 


CnAPTER  XVIIT. 

THE  SECOND   RANGE   OF  HILLS. 

BUT  while  riding  across  tlie  level  plain, 
Herbert  Watrous  did  a  good  deal  of 
thinking,  and  strove  hard  to  fix  npon  the 
■wisest  course  to  benefit  the  missing  Nick. 

K'ow,  as  I  have  intimated,  notliing  could  be 
clearer  than  the  foolhardiness  of  trying  to 
outwit  the  criminals,  or  to  aid  his  friend 
by  his  own  shrewdness.  They  had  made  a 
prisoner  of  the  youth,  who  Herbert  knew 
was  his  superior  in  every  respect,  and  could 
well  afford  to  laugh  at  the  utmost  he  essayed 
to  do. 

Without  attempting  to  answer  the  many- 
questions  that  presented  themselves,  he  con- 
fined his  speculation  to  one  or  two  bearing 
directly  upon  the  important  business  on  which 
he  was  engaged. 

Admitting  that  Bell  Rickard,  the  crooked 
dealer  in  horse-flesh,  had  made  a  prisoner  of 

159 


160  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

Nick  Eibsara,  it  followed  that  lie  held  no 
intention  of  doing  him  immediate  harm. 
Had  his  anger  been  as  deep  and  resentful  as 
supposed,  he  would  have  shot  him  down  at 
sight,  instead  of  taking  him  on  a  long  ride. 
Herbert  shuddered  at  the  thouglit  that  possi- 
bly he  meant  to  prolong  his  snffering  and 
torture,  as  do  the  American  Indians  in  the 
case  of  their  captives,  and  that  his  revenge 
would  be  carried  out  that  evening.  This 
theor}^,  however,  was  so  violent  that  it  caused 
the  youth  less  worriment  than  would  be  sup- 
posed. He  could  not  believe  that  Rickard 
held  any  such  shocking  purpose.  Tliis 
brought  Herbert  back  to  his  former  belief  that 
the  frugal  criminal  was  managing  things  with 
a  view  of  forcing  a  ransom  from  the  friends  of 
his  i^risoner.  While  he  saw  numerous  objec- 
tions to  the  idea,  he  decided  to  act  upon  it. 
He  meant  to  ride  straight  into  the  camp  of  the 
thieves,  and  demand  their  reason  for  what 
they  had  done. 

If  Rickard  would  agree  to  release  Nick  for 
a  reasonable  sum,  Herbert  would  gladly  pay 
it.     He  had  considerable    money   with  him, 


THE  SECOND   RANGE  OF  HILLS.  161 

and,  if  that  proved  insufficient,  he  couki  give 
him  drafts  that  would  be  honored  in  San 
Antonio,  Santa  Fe,  or  San  Francisco.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  Mr.  Watrous  had  liberally- 
provided  for  his  son  in  this  respect. 

Should  Rickard  accept  the  proi:)osition,  he 
would  still  hold  the  whip  hand,  in  case  he 
chose  to  betray  both  boys  ;  but  it  was  idle  to 
speculate.  Time  enough  to  face  the  varying 
conditions  as  they  presented  themselves. 

By  the  time  this  decision  crystallized  in  the 
mind  of  Herbert,  the  afternoon  was  half  gone, 
and  he  had  ridden  a  good  many  miles.  He 
had  seen  no  water,  and,  though  he  allowed 
Jill  to  rest  himself  by  walking  at  times,  yet  he 
forced  him  to  the  verge  of  imprudence.  Both 
he  and  his  master  were  thirsty  and  hungry, 
but  had  to  wait  a  convenient  season  before 
attending  to  their  wants. 

At  intervals,  he  had  raised  his  glass  and 
studied  the  party,  well  in  advance,  but,  as  he 
was  on  their  trail,  this  was  not  necessary,  and 
a  couple  of  hours  passed  without  his  doing  so. 
He  was  so  absorbed  in  his  thoughts  that  he 
rode  at  the  easy,  swinging  gait  which  Jill 
11 


162  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

could  maintain  for  a  long  time  witliont 
fatigue,  paying  no  attention  to  his  surround- 
ings. 

The  afternoon  was  far  along,  and  he  was 
drawing  near  the  ridge  that  had  seemed  so 
near  ever  since  starting,  when  he  roused  him- 
self with  the  thought  that  he  must  keep  his 
senses  about  him,  and  cease  the  speculating 
and  daydreaming  in  which  he  had  indulged 
so  long. 

His  first  natural  act  was  to  look  ahead  for 
the  horsemen,  but  the  unaided  eye  could  not 
see  them.  The  helpful  field  glass  was  then 
levelled,  and  he  scanned  the  base  of  the  hills 
from  a  point  well  to  the  south,  along  his  front, 
and  a  considerable  way  to  the  north,  but  was 
surprised  to  observe  nothing  of  them. 

"They  have  ridden  in  among  the  hills, 
where  they  are  out  of  sight,  but  that  will 
make  little  difference,  as  long  as  I  stick  to 
their  trail " 

He  checked  his  utterance  in  dismay,  for, 
looking  down  at  the  ground,  he  discovered 
that  he  was  not  on  the  track  of  the  party  at 
all.     While  rapt  in  a  brown  study,  his  pony 


THE   SECOND    RANGE   OF   HILLS.  163 

liad  left  it,  and  the  anxious  eyes  wliicU  scanned 
tlie  prairie  on  all  sides  failed  to  detect  the 
first  imprint  of  a  horse's  hoofs. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  pretty  pass  ! "  he  exclaimed 
impatiently,  as  he  reined  up  ;  "I  left  it  to  you, 
Jill,  not  doubting  that  you  would  attend  to 
business ;  but,  after  all,  it  was  my  own 
fault." 

Reflection,  however,  convinced  him  that  the 
case  was  not  so  bad  after  all.  He  could  not 
be  far  astray,  and  he  decided  to  press  on 
toward  the  hills,  and  gallop  along  their  base, 
until  he  struck  the  missing  trail. 

That  which  caused  him  anxiety  was  the  late- 
ness of  the  hour.  The  top  of  the  ridge  already 
shut  the  sun  from  sight,  and,  ere  long,  night 
would  close  over  the  scene,  so  obscuring  the 
footprints  that  further  search  must  be  hope- 
less. 

It  was  this  fact  which  caused  him  to  touch 
his  spur  sharply  against  the  side  of  Jill,  and 
force  him  to  a  pace  that  he  would  not  have 
done  in  his  tired  condition,  but  for  the  urgency 
of  the  case. 

Jill    responded    gamely    to     the    demand, 


164  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

galloping  with  a  speed  that  caused  the  still 
wind  to  whistle  by  the  rider's  face.  The  hills 
were  so  close  that  a  half  hour  carried  him  to 
the  base,  and  he  once  more  brought  the  ani- 
mal down  to  a  walk. 

It  was  now  a  question  whether  he  was  too 
far  north  or  too  far  to  the  south  of  the  point 
of  entrance  by  the  party  in  advance.  If  he 
should  err,  there  was  not  enough  daylight  re- 
maining to  correct  the  mistake  ;  he  would  of 
necessity  be  forced  to  wait  until  morning 
before  going  on. 

Since  he  had  to  guess  at  it,  he  acted  on  the 
theory  that  he  had  struck  the  ridge  to  the 
south.  He  therefore  wheeled  his  pony  to 
the  right,  and  touched  him  into  a  leisurely 
canter,  while  he  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
ground,  as  it  swe^^t  under  the  hoofs  of  the 
animal. 

It  was  certainly  remarkable  that  Herbert's 
thoughts  remained  so  fixed  upon  what  was  in 
front  that  he  gave  little  or  no  attention  to  tbe 
rear.  Once,  it  is  true,  he  glanced  back  over 
the  long  space  ridden  during  the  day,  and 
noted  that  the  ridge,   which  had    been  the 


THE   SECOND   RANGE   OF   HILLS.  165 

scene  of  his  stirring  experience  of  the  previous 
night,  was  fast  fading  from  sight ;  but  the 
survey  was  so  brief  and  hasty  that  it  failed  to 
take  in  an  important  feature  in  which  he  was 
directly  concerned. 

Better  fortune  attended  his  search  than  he 
anticipated,  for  he  had  ridden  only  a  little 
way  when  he  struck  the  footprints  of  the 
horses.  It  was  still  so  light  that  he  could 
readily  detect  them  without  dismounting,  but 
that  there  should  be  no  mistake,  he  slipped 
from  the  saddle,  and,  holding  the  bridle  in  one 
hand,  walked  several  rods,  carefully  studying 
the  marks  in  the  earth. 

He  was  right.  It  was  easy  to  see  that 
six  horses  had  passed  that  way  but  a  short 
time  before.  Two  of  them  must  have  been 
the  pack  animals,  while  the  others  included 
Nick  Ribsam's  Jack,  and  the  three  be- 
longing to  Bell  Eickard  and  his  two  com- 
panions. 

Their  course  along  the  eastern  base  of  the 
hills  showed  the  riders  were  searching  for  a 
favorable  point  of  entrance.  This  looked  as  if 
the  party  was  not  fully  familiar  with  the  sec- 


166  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

tion,  tliongli  it  was  by  no  means  certain  this 
was  so. 

Herbert  began  to  feel  misgivings,  as  he 
observed  the  twilight  deepening  into  dark- 
ness, while  the  trail  still  kept  the  same  course, 
varying  a  little  now  and  then  to  the  right  or 
left  with  the  changing  course  of  the  elevation. 

By  and  by,  the  gloom  became  so  pronounced 
that  he  drew  his  pony  down  to  a  walk,  and, 
leaning  over  the  saddle,  studied  the  ground 
with  the  closest  scrutiny.  It  was  not  long 
before  this  proved  insuflScient  and  he  again 
dismounted. 

"It  makes  slow  work,"  he  said,  "but  it  is 
sure — well,  I'll  be  hanged  !  " 

Again  there  were  no  footprints  before  him  ! 
The  ground  showed  not  the  least  impression 
when  he  struck  a  match  and  stooped  over. 

"We  can't  be  far  off  the  track,  Jill;  we 
must  now  take  the  back  trail,  as  the  hunters 
say." 

Holding  the  bridle  in  his  left  hand,  he 
began  carefully  retracing  his  steps ;  but, 
instead  of  hunting  for  the  path,  he  looked  for 
the  point  where  it  had  turned  in  among  the 


THE  SECOXD  RANGE  OF  HILLS.  167 

hills.  This  must  be  close  at  hand,  for  the 
footprints  were  lost  only  a  short  time  before. 

He  had  advanced  a  little  more  than  a  hun- 
dred yards,  when  he  observed  an  opening 
among  the  stunted  vegetation  and  bowlders 
wide  enough  to  allow  a  horse  to  pass  through 
without  trouble. 

"This  looks  as  if  it  might  be  the  right 
place,"  he  said,  stopping  and  scrutinizing  it ; 
"  we'll  soon  find  out." 

Another  lucifer  was  called  into  play.  He 
bent  down,  holding  it  before  his  head  ;  and, 
as  the  tiny  flame  spread,  he  uttered  an  excla- 
mation of  delight.  He  had  recovered  the 
trail ! 


CHAPTEE  XIX. 

IN   THE    EAVINE. 

THE  discovery  that  he  was  so  near  the 
party  caused  Herbert's  heart  to  beat 
faster  than  usual.  He  felt  the  need  of  pru- 
dence and  caution  at  every  step,  since  he  could 
not  know  whether  Rickard  was  aware  of  his 
pursuit.  It  might  be  that  the  fellow  had  dis- 
covered it  and  laid  an  ambush  for  him. 

But,  in  accordance  with  his  previous  resolu- 
tion, he  pushed  on,  leading  his  pony  by  the 
bridle,  until  he  had  penetrated  a  number  of 
rods  among  the  hills,  when  he  once  more 
paused. 

He  was  struck  by  the  resemblance  between 
the  ridge  and  the  one  where  he  had  spent  the 
previous  night.  The  curious  exception,  how- 
ever, was  that  the  trail  that  he  Avas  following 
was  without  any  ascent.  Thus  it  was  that, 
when  he  stopped,  he  found  the  rocks  and 
trees  rising  on  either  hand,  as  if  he  was  enter- 

168 


IN  THE   RAVINE.  169 

ing  a  canon  or  deep  ravine.  The  ground 
showed  no  grass,  but  was  so  gravelly  under  his 
feet,  and  so  tilled  with  stones  and  hollows,  that 
he  was  sure  a  torrent  or  river,  at  some  time  or 
other,  had  forced  its  way  over  the  bed. 

That  which  checked  him  abruptly  was  his 
stepi^ing  into  a  pool  of  water,  into  which  one 
foot  sank  to  the  knee.  He  hastily  drew  back, 
with  a  slight  gasp  caused  by  its  coolness,  and 
then,  observing  nothing  distinctly  in  the 
gloom,  struck  a  match. 

The  air  was  as  still  as  in  a  vault,  and  it  Avas 
unnecessary  to  shade  the  little  blaze  which  he 
held  in  front  and  above  his  head. 

The  pool  was  so  narrow  that  he  could  easily 
leajD  to  the  other  side.  It  was  clear,  and  Jill 
showed  his  appreciation  of  the  boon  by  thrust- 
ing his  nose  into  it  and  drinking  his  fill.  Her- 
bert himself  was  thirsty  enough  to  lie  down  on 
his  face  and  do  the  same. 

He  found  that  the  ravine  which  he  had 
entered  had  a  varying  width  of  a  dozen  to  fifty 
feet,  Avith  precipitous  sides,  composed  of  such 
a  mass  of  jagged  and  projecting  rocks  that  it 
was  easy  to  climb  out  of  it  from  any  point. 


170  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

Not  a  particle  of  grass  was  visible,  tliongh 
possibly  it  was  to  be  found  further  on. 

Herbert's  conclusion  was  that  the  ravine  cut 
through  the  hills,  and  had  been  used  by 
Rickard  and  his  party  to  reach  the  other  side. 
AVhether  he  was  correct  or  not  remained  to  be 
learned. 

It  struck  him,  however,  as  imprudent  to 
take  his  pony  further.  The  sound  of  his  hoofs 
were  quite  certain  to  betray  him  to  anyone  on 
the  watch,  while  the  youth  himself  could  steal 
forward  without  noise.  The  light  of  the  burn- 
ing match  had  revealed  a  gnarled  root  project- 
ing from  the  side  of  the  ravine.  He  carefully 
tied  the  bridle  to  this,  for  the  place  was  so 
unique  in  its  way  that  he  was  resolved  to  take 
no  chances  of  Jill  going  astray.  He  would  lose 
nothing  by  the  detention,  because,  as  has  been 
shown,  food  was  unobtainable  and  his  master 
did  not  expect  to  be  long  absent. 

Pausing  a  minute  to  make  sure  his  pony  was 
securely  fastened,  Herbert  pushed  into  the 
ravine,  on  the  alert  for  the  first  sign  of  the 
criminals  and  their  prisoner.  It  was  an  im- 
pressive situation,  and,  mindful  of  his  slight 


IX   THE   RAVINE.  171 

mishap,  lie  moved  ^itli  great  care,  occasion- 
ally burning  a  match  when  afraid  of  a  mis- 
step. 

Ten  minntes  after  leaving  his  horse,  he 
turned  an  abrupt  bend  in  the  ravine  and  was 
startled  by  observing  the  light  of  a  camp  fire. 
It  was  only  a  little  way  ahead,  and  directly  in 
front,  so  that,  had  he  continued  his  walk 
without  variation,  he  must  have  stepped  into 
the  blaze  itself. 

The  gorge,  which  was  comparatively  narrow 
up  to  this  point,  expanded  into  a  width  of 
fully  a  hundred  yards,  in  the  middle  of  which 
a  large  fire  had  been  kindled,  that  lit  up  the 
surrounding  gloom,  and  threw  a  faint  illumi- 
nation almost  to  the  feet  of  Herbert,  who  stood 
silently  studying  it. 

That  the  site  was  well  chosen  was  proven  by 
the  gleam  of  another  pool  of  water,  much 
larger  than  the  former,  while  a  patch  of  green 
grass  extended  from  the  fire  beyond  until  lost 
in  the  darkness. 

The  first  glance  at  the  camp  was  with  the 
conviction  that  he  had  overtaken  the  party  he 
was  after,  but  the  second  look  raised  strong 


172  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

doubts  in  his  mind,  for  he  failed  to  observe 
that  which  until  that  moment  he  was  confi- 
dent of  seeing. 

The  party  that  he  had  followed  so  far  across 
the  prairie,  consisted  of  four  horsemen,  one  of 
whom  was  Nick  Ribsam,  but  only  two  were 
now  in  sight,  and  neither  was  the  lad.  Nor 
were  the  pack  horses  visible. 

The  reader  must  not  forget  that  Herbert  was 
asleep  during  Bell  Richard's  forced  visit  to 
camp  the  night  before  and  a  long  distance  had 
separated  the  two  until  now.  It  was  impossi- 
ble, therefore,  for  him  "to  know  whether  either 
of  the  parties  before  him  was  that  worthy  or 
not. 

The  light  of  the  fire  was  sufficiently  strong 
to  bring  out  in  relief  the  two  horses,  grazing 
on  the  luxuriant  patch  of  grass,  but,  as  I  have 
said,  no  other  animals  were  in  sight. 

One  man  was  sitting  on  a  stone  near  the  fire, 
smoking  a  pipe,  while  the  other  stood  in  front 
of  him,  whittling  a  stick  in  the  indifferent 
fashion  that  a  person  shows  when  his  thoughts 
are  otherwise  occupied.  He  faced  the  one 
sitting  on  the  bowlder,  and  the  murmur  of 


IN   THE   RAVINE.  173 

their  voices  was  heard,  as  they  talked,  though 
no  words  were  intelligible. 

They  were  dressed  in  cowboy  fashion,  with 
their  broad-brimmed  hats,  long  hair,  hickory 
shirts,  and  slouchy  trousers  tucked  in  their 
boot  tops,  not  forgetting  the  belt  around  the 
waist  for  cartridges  and  pistols. 

Herbert  judged  they  were  white  men,  though 
it  was  easy  to  be  mistaken,  since  they  might 
have  been  of  mixed  blood  without  its  being 
betrayed  in  the  firelight.  He  fancied  one  was 
the  notorious  horse  thief,  Belden  Rickard,  and 
the  other  the  equally  well-known  half-breed, 
Jim-John  ;  but  this  had  to  remain  conjecture 
until  someone  confirmed  or  disproved  it. 

The  bitter  disappointment  was  his  failure  to 
see  Nick,  who  he  was  confident  of  overtaking 
at  the  first  camp  reached.  The  only  theory  by 
which  he  could  explain  matters  was  that  tlie 
party  had  divided,  and  one  of  the  men  had 
pushed  on  with  Nick  as  his  companion.  If  this 
were  so,  that  one  must  have  been  Rickard. 
Possibly  he  feared  pursuit,  and  was  using  the 
darkness  to  get  further  on  with  the  pack 
horses,  which  could  not  travel  as  fast  as  the 


174  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

others.  This  might  be  readily  done,  a  ren- 
dezvous having  been  agreed  upon  before- 
hand. 

Herbert  remained,  viewing  the  fire,  for  a 
time,  thinking  it  possible  that  Nick  and  the 
other  man  might  put  in  an  appearance,  but  as 
the  minutes  passed,  he  w^as  confirmed  in  the 
belief  named. 

He  determined  to  continue  the  hunt  until 
he  learned  the  truth.  The  expansion  of  the 
ravine  where  the  fire  had  been  kindled  was  so 
great  that  he  could  readily  pass  it  without 
detection,  but  it  would  hardly  do  to  venture 
upon  so  uncertain  a  journey  on  foot,  when 
there  was  urgent  need  of  a  horse. 

His  plan,  therefore,  was  to  return  for  his 
pony  and  try  to  flank  the  camp,  by  leading 
him  past.  If  he  were  discovered  and  chal- 
lenged, he  would  boldly  advance  and  make  his 
business  known,  demanding  that  he  be  told 
where  he  could  find  his  missing  friend. 

He  took  a  parting  look  at  the  coujDle  in 
whom  he  was  so  interested.  They  held  the 
same  positions  as  before,  one  sitting  on  the 
stone  smoking,   and    the    other    standing  in 


IN  THE   RATINE.  175 

front,  slowly  whittling,  while  they  discussed 
some  matter  in  which  neither  seemed  to  feel 
a  very  deep  interest. 

Nothing  was  to  be  gained  by  waiting,  and 
Herbert  started  back  to  get  his  horse.  He  had 
fixed  the  points  so  well  in  mind,  that,  when 
he  supposed  he  was  near  the  pool  and  ignited 
a  match,  he  saw  he  was  on  the  edge  of  it.  He 
leaped  lightly  across,  and,  with  the  tiny  flame 
still  in  his  hand,  walked  to  where  his  pony 
was  tied  a  short  time  before. 

Jill  was  gone !  Since  he  could  not  have 
freed  himself,  someone  had  removed  him. 

"While  Herbert  stood  silent  and  dismayed, 
he  caught  the  sound  of  a  footfall,  accompanied 
by  a  chuckle  of  triumph. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

REINFORCEMENTS. 

HERBERT  WATROUS  was  dumfounded. 
He  had  stolen  up  the  ravine  and  spent 
some  time  in  studying  the  cam  pfire  and  the 
two  strangers,  and  now,  on  his  return  to  where 
his  pony  had  been  tied,  the  animal  was  gone. 
While  he  was  acting  the  spy,  the  same  trick 
had  been  successfully  played  on  him. 

But  he  roused  quickly,  and  running  a  few 
steps  in  the  direction  of  the  retreating  horse 
and  his  captor,  called : 

"Stop,  or  I'll  shoot!  You  can't  steal  my 
animal !  " 

It  was  an  idle  threat,  for,  in  the  gloom,  he 
only  knew  the  direction  taken  by  the  man  and 
beast,  and  his  shot,  therefore,  must  have  been 
at  random. 

"Shoot  if  you  want  to,"  was  the  defiant 
reply  ;  "  but  the  flash  of  your  gun  will  give  us 
the  show  to  drop  you  !  " 

176 


REINFORCEMENTS.  177 

Sarely  he  had  heard  that  voice  before. 

"Strubell,  is  that  you?"  he  called,  still 
hurrying  forward,  but  with  his  weapon  low- 
ered. 

Two  persons  now  laughed,  and  the  w^ell- 
known  tones  of  the  Texan  called  back  : 

"You'll  have  to  practise  a  while,  young 
man,  before  you  learn  how  to  trail  Indians 
and  horse  thieves." 

Delighted  beyond  measure,  Herbert  quickly 
joined  the  friends,  whom  he  had  hardly 
expected  to  meet  again. 

"I  was  afraid  you  were  killed,"  said  he, 
"and  had  no  idea  you  were  near  me.  Where 
did  you  come  from?" 

"  We  have  been  following  you  most  of  the 
day,"  said  Strubell,  "but  your  horse  went  so 
fast  we  couldn't  overtake  you,  and,  when 
you  slowed  him  down,  we  concluded  to  let  you 
go  ahead,  while  we  learned  what  you  were 
driving  at." 

"  When  you  are  at  this  business,"  added 
Lattin,  "  you  want  to  keep  an  eye  to  the  rear 
as  well  as  to  the  front." 

The  Texans  had  their  own  ponies  wdth  them, 

12 


178  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

and,  so  far  as  could  be  judged  in  the  gloom, 
were  suffering  no  ill  effect  from  tlieir  sharp 
brush  with  their  enemies  the  night  before. 

"Why  did  you  take  my  horse?"  asked 
Herbert. 

"We  wanted  to  give  you  a  little  scare,  but 
you  came  back  sooner  than  we  expected.  I 
followed  after  you,  and,  while  you  were  view- 
ing the  camp  fire,  I  did  the  same.  I  walked  in 
front  of  you  on  the  return,  but  your  Jill  was 
tied  so  fast  that  it  took  me  longer  than  I 
expected  to  unfasten  him." 

"Did  you  see  Belden  at  the  camp  up  the 
ravine?" 

"No;  and  you  didn't  either,  for  he  isn't 
there." 

"  Who  are  those  follows  ? " 

"  One  is  Jim- John  the  half  breed,  and  the 
other  a  fellow  named  Brindage — Homer  Brin- 
dage,  I  believe." 

"They  belong  to  Rickard's  gang  ?  " 

"Yes — two  worse  scamps  never  went  un- 
hanged ;  I  was  afraid  you  were  going  forward 
to  talk  with  them,  and  stood  ready  to  stop 
you,  if  you  made  the  start." 


REINFORCEMENTS.  179 

"  Why,  that's  exactly  what  I  would  have 
done,  if  Nick  had  been  with  them,"  said  the 
surprised  Herbert ;  "  would  they  have  harmed 
me?" 

"You  would  have  found  out  mighty  sud- 
den ;  they  are  the  kind  that  shoot  first,  and 
inquire  afterward  whether  there  was  any 
reason  for  their  haste." 

While  the  brief  conversation  was  going  on, 
Strubell  remounted  his  horse  and  the  lad  did 
the  same.  Lattin  had  been  in  the  saddle  from 
the  first. 

"  You  had  a  fight  with  them  last  night  ?  " 

"  How  did  you  know  that?  "  asked  Lattin. 

"  I  heard  the  sounds  of  your  guns  as  well  as 
theirs." 

"  I  guess  not,"  replied  the  Texan,  "  we 
didn't  have  any  scrimmage  with  them." 

"But  there  was  plentj"  of  firing." 

''Nobody  denies  that,  but  I'm  tellin'  you 
the  truth,  when  I  say  we  haven't  traded  a 
single  shot  with  Bell  Rickard  or  any  of  his 
men." 

Since  the  Texan  had  made  this  remark, 
Herbert  expected  he  would  follow  it  with  an 


180  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

explanation  of  the  previous  niglit's  experience. 
He  did  not  deny  that  there  had  been  a  fight, 
only  that  Rickard  and  his  men  were  not  in 
it.  With  whom,  therefore,  were  their  shots 
exchanged  ? 

Both  Strubell  and  Lattin  showed  the  same 
annoying  reticence  about  certain  matters  that 
they  had  displayed  more  than  once  before. 
Neither  offered  a  reply  to  the  question  that 
was  asked  by  Herbert's  expressive  silence, 
which  lasted  for  some  moments. 

A  touch  of  impatience  disturbed  the  youth. 
He  felt  like  Nick  when  similarly  annoyed. 
If  they  chose  to  affect  so  much  mystery,  he 
was  not  the  one  to  gratify  them  by  showing 
curiosity. 

But  a  more  important  subject  filled  his 
mind.  The  fate  of  Nick  Ribsam  outweighed 
everything  else,  and  on  that  he  was  not  to  be 
denied  all  the  information  they  could  furn- 
ish. Their  help  was  needed  and  that  without 
delay. 

"From  what  you  have  said,  Strubell,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  Rickard  has  ridden  away 
with  Nick." 


REINFORCEMEXTS.  181 

"  I  agree  with  you  that  far." 

"  Where  has  he  gone  ?  " 

"How  can  you  expect  me  to  know  any  more 
about  that  than  you  ?  " 

"But  you  do  know  more.  What  do  you 
suppose  ?" 

"They  are  pushing  toward  New  Mexico." 

"But  that  is  hundreds  of  miles  off." 

"  That  doesn't  hinder  their  riding  that  way 
more  than  it  does  us ;  they  may  never  get 
there,  but  I  suspect  they  are  aiming  for  that 
country." 

"  Do  you  believe  Rickard  is  an  enemy  of 
Nick?" 

"There's  no  doubt  of  it;  that  little  affair 
last  night,  which  he  must  have  explained  to 
you,  has  stirred  up  all  the  ugliness  in  Bell's 
nature,  and  he  is  full  of  it." 

"  What  do  you  think  he  means  to  do  with 
Nick?" 

"I  would  like  to  answer  that  question," 
said  Strubell,  who  evidently  sympathized  with 
his  young  friend  ;  "  but  I  cannot." 

"  Do  you  fear  he  means  to  kill  him  ? " 

"I  hope  not." 


182  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

"Heavens,"  exclaimed  the  agonized  Her- 
bert, "and  are  we  to  sit  liere  and  allow  siicli 
a  crime  to  be  committed  ?  " 

"  We  are  going  to  do  our  best  to  prevent  it," 
was  the  response  of  Lattin,  which  struck  fire 
in  tlie  hearts  of  the  others. 

"Yes,"  spoke  Strubell  again,  "that's  what 
we're  here  for ;  but  before  going  further, 
I  want  you  to  tell  me  what  took  place  after 
you  left  us  yesterday  afternoon." 

"  I  can't  tell  you  all,  though  most  of  it." 

Thereupon,  Herbert  gave  his  experience  with 
the  norther,  when  for  a  while  he  believed  he 
was  doomed  to  freeze  to  death,  ending  with 
his  search  for  Nick  and  the  discovery,  through 
the  aid  of  his  field  glass,  that  he  was  riding 
away  in  company  with  Rickard  and  his  com- 
panions. He  had  followed  the  party,  doubt- 
ing whether  he  could  do  anything  to  help  him, 
but  determined  not  to  stay  behind  while  Nick 
was  in  peril. 

"Well,"  said  Strubell,  who,  like  Lattin, 
listened  attentively  to  the  story,  "you  must 
understand  that  we  shall  never  let  up  till  we 
have  straightened  out  this  matter.     Rickard 


REINFORCEMENTS.  183 

has  started  toward  New  Mexico,  and  he  means 
to  get  there  with  the  boy  ;  the  two  are  riding 
hard  at  this  minute  and  will  press  their  horses 
to  the  utmost." 

"But  what  is  their  purpose?"  asked  the 
mystified  Herbert. 

"  What  is  to  be  gained  by  puzzling  our 
lieads  over  the  meaning  of  things,  when  we 
have  the  things  themselves  to  deal  with  ?  I 
have  my  suspicion  of  what  Bell  is  driving  at, 
but  I  must  get  a  little  further  along  before  I 
say  what  it  is.  Lattin  disagrees  with  me,  and 
a  fellow  doesn't  like  to  find  he's  mistaken. 
Let  that  go  while  we  bend  all  our  energies  to- 
ward righting  the  wrong." 

"  It  strikes  me  as  strange  that  if  Rickard  is 
in  such  haste,  he  should  take  the  pack  horses 
with  him." 

"He  hasn't." 

"But  they  are  not  in  camp,"  said  Her- 
bert. 

"No  ;  he  has  taken  them  to  some  point  not 
far  off,  probably  on  the  other  side  of  the  hills, 
where  they  will  be  left  for  Brindage  and  Jim- 
John  to  take  care  of.     You   understand  the 


184  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

object  of  this,"  the  Texan  hastened  to  add  ; 
"they  want  to  give  the  impression  that  they 
are  going  slow,  as  they  would  have  to  do  if 
they  kept  the  pack  animals  with  them.  That 
is  to  throw  dust  in  the  eyes  of  Nick's  friends  ; 
but  you  can  depend  upon  it  that  it  is  not  far 
from  camp  that  they  have  left  them,  and  they 
are  now  devoting  themselves  to  speed.  You 
know  that  pony  of  your  friend  is  as  fleet  as 
any  in  this  crowd." 

"There  is  no  doubt  of  that  ;  Nick  is  a  good 
judge  of  horses,  and  he  studied  him  closely  in 
San  Antonio  before  buying  him." 

"  Well,  Bell  has  had  so  many  dealings  in  the 
same  line  that  you  can  make  up  your  mind, 
when  he  trusts  his  worthless  life  on  the  back 
of  an  animal,  that  creature  must  know  some- 
thing about  grabbing  ground." 

"That  being  so,  tell  me  what  yonr  plan  is, 
Strubell." 

"Now  it  happens  that  Baker  and  I  know 
a  little  more  about  this  part  of  the  country 
than  Bell  and  his  folks,  though  this  isn't  the 
first  time  they  have  traveled  through  it ;  they 
think  this  ravine  is  the  only  pass  through  the 


REINFORCEMENTS.  185 

hills,   for  a  long  distance,  but  there's  where 
they  make  a  mistake." 
"But  what  of  that?" 
"  We'll  take  a  ticket  over  the  new  route." 
This  odd  remark  caused  a  laugh  from  Lattin, 
who,  unlike  Herbert,  caught  its   whole  sig- 
nificance. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

THE  PURSUIT. 

MEN  trained  in  the  profession  of  the  cow- 
boys think  and  act  quickly.  Within  a 
half  hour  following  their  meeting  with  Herbert 
Watrous,  the  party  were  travelling  the  other 
way,  and  shortly  after  emerged  from  the 
hills,  where  the  ground  was  perfectly  level, 
and  advantage  could  be  taken  of  the  faint 
moonlight  which  would  soon  aid  them. 

As  soon  as  they  were  fairly  out  in  the  open 
country,  the  Texans  halted  and  sat  motionless 
for  a  moment.  They  were  listening  for  sounds 
which  they  heard  not.  Then  Lattin  slipped 
from  the  saddle  and  held  his  ear  for  a  full 
minute  pressed  flat  against  the  earth. 

"It's  all  right,"  he  remarked,  swinging 
himself  over  the  back  of  his  pony.  The  three 
broke  into  a  moderate  gallop,  riding  almost 
abreast,  for  there  was  abundant  room  for  them 
to  do  so. 

IM 


THE  PURSUIT.  187 

It  was  about  a  mile  from  where  tlie  last 
change  of  direction  took  place  that  Strubell 
drew  his  horse  down  to  a  walk  and  edged  in 
as  close  as  he  could  to  the  hills,  his  com- 
panions, of  course,  doing  the  same.  It  was 
apparent  that  he  was  looking  for  the  "new 
route  "  that  had  been  spoken  of.  Herbert  did 
all  he  could  to  aid,  but  when  an  abrupt  change 
was  made  he  saw  no  cause  for  it. 

"  That's  the  reason  why  so  few  know  about 
this,"  explained  the  elder  Texan,  after  stating 
that  they  had  struck  the  right  spot;  "if  it 
was  plain  enough  to  be  seen  miles  off,  Bell 
would  have  known  all  about  it." 

"Ard  and  me  found  it  out  by  accident," 
added  Lattin  ;  "you  obsarve  how  you  turn 
here,  just  as  if  you  was  passing  behind  a  door, 
before  you  hit  the  pass :  that  door  h'des  it 
from  the  sight  of  anyone  out  on  the  prairie." 

The  peculiar  conformation  had  been  noticed 
by  Herbert,  who  replied  that  he  could  not 
have  noticed  it  at  noonday. 

"The  queerest  thing,"  added  Lattin,  "is 
that  it's  just  the  same  on  the  other  side  ;  if  it 
wasn't,  the  pass  would  have  been  foand  from 


188  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

that  direction  ;  me  and  Ard  was  cbasin'  a 
couple  of  Kioways  one  day  that  had  stolen  a 
horse,  when  they  dodged  in  here  and  gave  us 
the  slip  ;  that's  the  way  we  hit  it." 

An  exiDert  engineer  could  not  have  con- 
structed a  finer  cut  through  the  ridge— that  is, 
for  the  present  purpose.  At  no  place  was  it 
more  than  a  hundred  or  less  than  fifty  feet  in 
width,  and  the  'ground  was  so  level  that,  had 
they  chosen,  their  horses  might  have  galloped 
the  whole  distance.  There  was  little  doubt 
that  the  ridge  had  been  broken  apart  at  this 
point  by  some  terrific  convulsion  of  nature, 
the  opposite  sides  corresponding  so  perfectly 
that  they  would  have  dovetailed,  could  they 
have  been  pushed  together. 

This  being  the  fact,  a  brief  time  only 
elapsed,  when  the  three  horsemen,  whose  sole 
purpose  now  was  to  overtake  the  party  that 
was  making  off  with  Nick  Ribsam,  rode  out 
upon  the  open  plain  beyond. 

Here  was  another  brief  halt,  while  the 
younger  Texan  held  his  ear  against  the  earth, 
the  other  neither  moving  nor  speaking.  He 
remained  in  his  prone  posture  so  long  that  it 


THE  PURSUIT.  189 

was  evident  he  had  detected  something.  He 
must  have  caught  a  suspicious  sound  and  was 
trying  to  locate  it. 

"It's  right  ahead,"  he  said,  as  he  once 
more  climbed  into  the  saddle,  "and  not  fur 
off." 

Since  the  movements  were  now  based  on  the 
discovery  of  the  younger  cowbo}',  the  elder 
dropped  slightly  back  and  joined  Herbert  as 
an  intimation  that  Lattin  had  become  the 
leader. 

The  latter  kept  his  pony  on  a  walk,  and  the 
youth  was  close  enough  to  him  to  observe  that 
he  frequently  turned  his  head  in  different 
directions,  showing  that  he  was  looking  and 
listening  with  the  utmost  care.  All  at  once 
he  drew  rein  and  the  others  halted  by  his 
side. 

"  Sh  !  you  hear  'era,"  he  whispered. 

Herbert  noticed  the  stamp  of  a  horse,  as  he 
judged  it  to  be,  which  could  not  have  been  far 
in  advance,  though  the  night  was  so  still  that 
a  slight  sound  could  be  heard  a  long  waj^.  He 
was  tempted  to  ask  whether  it  was  not  true 
that  if  they  could  discover  others  close  by,  the 


190  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

strangers  had  the  same  chance  of  learning 
about  them,  but  he  was  sure  his  friends  under- 
stood themselves  too  well  to  commit  a  blunder 
which  Tie  would  detect. 

Without  another  word  between  the  men  the 
younger  let  himself  silently  to  the  ground  and 
moved  forward  in  the  gloom.  It  seemed  to 
the  youth  that  he  showed  rashness  by  this  act, 
for,  instead  of  crouching  over  and  stealing 
along,  step  by  step,  he  remained  erect  and 
walked  with  his  ordinary  gait,  except  perhaj)s 
he  lifted  and  set  down  his  feet  more  lightly. 

It  need  not  be  said,  however,  that  Baker 
Lattin  understood  what  he  was  doing,  and, 
when  at  the  end  of  a  few  minutes  he  came 
back,  he  brought  the  very  news  which  Strubell 
exi:)ected  and  Avhich  confirmed  the  theory 
formed  by  the  cowboys. 

The  three  pack  horses  belonging  to  the 
Americans  were  less  than  two  hundred  yards 
distant.  A  couple  were  lying  down  while  the 
third  was  cropping  the  grass.  No  person  was 
nearer  than  the  owners,  so  that  it  was  proven 
that  they  had  been  left  there  by  Bell  Rickard 
and  his  companion  to  be  picked  up  by  Jim- 


THE   PURSUIT.  191 

John  and  Brindage,  ^vho  were  to  follow  tliem 
at  a  more  leisurely  pace. 

The  animals  were  not  picketed,  for  they 
were  not  likely  to  wander  beyond  easy  reach 
during  the  few  hours  that  must  elapse  before 
the  rear  guard  could  come  up  with  them. 
Their  loads  had  been  placed  on  the  ground  and 
their  bridles  removed,  so  that  they  were  free 
to  wander  whither  they  chose. 

The  tidings  were  pleasing  to  our  friends,  who 
were  thus  given  the  means  of  procuring  what 
they  were  sure  to  need  before  reaching  the  end 
of  their  journey.  Strubell  brought  forth  the 
blankets,  extra  suits  for  stormy  weather,  and 
a  goodly  number  of  articles  that  insured  com- 
fort for  a  good  while  to  come. 

It  seemed  odd  that  after  recovering  their 
animals  and  property  the  Texans  should 
coolly  turn  them  over  to  the  thieves,  but  the 
reader  will  see  that  it  was  the  only  thing  to  be 
done.  Rickard  and  Slidham  had  abandoned 
them  for  the  sake  of  speed,  and  for  their  pur- 
suers to  take  them  up  would  be  to  handicap 
themselves  in  the  same  fatal  fashion. 

The  fugitives,  as  they  may  be  called,  had 


192  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

got  what  they  wanted  from  the  pack  horses, 
and,  when  Strubell  and  Lattin  did  the  same, 
the  loads  were  much  lightened. 

It  was,  therefore,  without  the  slightest 
hesitation  that,  after  procuring  their  supplies, 
our  friends  resumed  their  advance,  leaving  the 
couple  among  the  hills  to  explain  by  what 
means  the  Texans  had  flanked  them. 

Strubell  had  hopes  of  overtaking  Rickard 
and  Slidham  before  daylight,  his  belief  being 
that  they  would  go  into  camp  after  riding 
a  number  of  miles.  They  had  been  in  the 
saddle  so  continuously  during  the  last  few 
days,  it  would  seem  thej^  ought  to  need  rest  as 
much  as  their  animals,  but  as  the  darkness 
wore  on  without  sight  or  sound  of  them,  he 
and  Lattin  agreed  that  the  scamjDS  were  push- 
ing their  horses  to  the  utmost. 

The  pursuers  were  also  pressing  their  ani- 
mals hard,  and  to  a  higher  degree  than  they 
would  have  done  under  other  circumstances, 
but  the  Texans  showed  an  eagerness  to  reach 
the  other  party  that  caused  Herbert  alarm. 
He  was  certain  there  must  be  a  cause  for  this 
haste  which  they  refused  to  explain  to  him. 


THE  PURSUIT.  193 

At  long  intervals  one  of  the  men  resorted  to 
the  usual  test  of  placing  his  ear  to  the  ground 
with  the  hope  of  catching  the  sounds  of  foot- 
steps. Once  he  stated  that  he  heard  some- 
thing of  the  kind,  and  for  a  half  hour  they  be- 
lieved they  were  coming  up  with  the  company 
in  front.  It  proved,  however,  that  some  kind 
of  animals  were  moving  across  the  country 
that  were  not  likely  to  be  those  they  were 
seeking. 

To  settle  the  question  the  pursuit  was  forced, 
and  they  overtook  a  couple  of  mavericks  or 
3tray  cattle.  One  of  them  was  turned  to 
account,  for  Strubell  shot  it,  and  the  party 
went  into  camp. 

It  was  high  time  they  did  so,  for  their  ponies 
were  worn  out  and  they  themselves  were  tired 
and  sleepy.  Enough  fuel  was  found  to  start  a 
fire,  over  which  a  good  meal  was  prepared, 
sufficient  being  cooked  and  laid  aside  to  allow 
them  to  keep  up  the  pursuit  for  a  couple  of 
days  without  stopping  for  food. 

The  fear  of  Herbert  Watrous  was  that  a 
mistake  had  been  made  by  his  friends  who 
had  wandered  from  the  trail,  but  when  day- 

13 


194  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

light  dawned,  and  the  Texans  made  an  investi- 
gation, they  found  they  were  right.  Rickard 
and  Slidham  were  following  the  very  course 
named  by  them — that  is,  in  the  direction  of 
New  Mexico. 

"It  looks  as  if  it's  going  to  be  a  long  chase," 
said  Strubell ;  "but  unless  something  unex- 
pected happens  we  shall  win." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

ACROSS   THE  BORDER. 

"1VT"0W  came  several  days'  experience,  so 
-i-^  similar  in  its  main  features  that  it  is 
not  worth  while  to  describe  it  in  detail. 

The  Texans  and  Herbert  Watrous  pushed 
their  ponies  to  the  verge  of  prudence ;  but 
though  the  skill  of  the  cowboys  saved  them 
from  going  astray,  and  there  never  was  any 
danger  of  losing  the  trail  of  the  fugitives,  they 
failed  to  catch  sight  of  them  during  that 
period. 

They  knew  that  Nick  Ribsam  rode  a  horse 
fully  the  equal,  if  not  the  superior,  of  those 
following  him,  and  it  was  shown  that  Bell 
Rickard  and  Harman  Slidham  were  well 
mounted.  It  was  easy,  therefore,  for  the  three 
to  cover  the  same  ground  as  their  pursuers, 
and,  having  as  good  a  start,  there  was  little 
prospect  of  the  parties  gaining  sight  of  each 
other  until  those  in  advance  chose  to  permit  it. 

196 


196  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

Herbert  Watrous  will  never  forget  tliat  long 
ride  tlirough  Western  Texas.  Had  he  not 
undergone  a  severe  preparation  he  never 
could  have  stood  it,  for  it  seemed  to  him  that 
he  was  in  the  saddle  all  the  time,  except 
when  stretched  on  the  earth  asleep.  Jill,  his 
faithful  pony,  developed  astonishing  endur- 
ance, but  though  the  Texans  got  everything 
possible  out  of  the  animals,  they  were  too 
prudent  to  force  them  to  a  killing  pace  ;  all 
stood  it  well. 

During  that  extended  ride  many  streams 
were  crossed.  One  of  them  was  the  North 
Fork  of  the  Concho,  properly  the  Colorado, 
on  which  the  capital  of  Texas  stands.  Al- 
though at  certain  seasons  this  becomes  a  raging 
torrent,  the  horses  forded  it  from  bank  to 
bank  without  once  losing  their  feet.  Indeed, 
only  for  a  few  paces  did  the  water  touch  the 
stirrups  of  the  riders. 

There  were  other  banks,  separated  by  hun- 
dreds of  feet,  down  which  they  rode  into  deep 
beds,  where  the  signs  showed  the  streams  ran 
full  at  certain  times  with  an  enormous  volume 
of  water,  but,  like  the  current  of  the  upper 


ACROSS   THE  BORDER.  197 

Rio  Grande,  they  seemed  dried  up.  Here  and 
there  were  muddy  pools,  connected  by  tiny 
threads  of  water,  which  hardly  moved,  while 
elevations  of  the  beds  were  met  midway  be- 
tween the  shores,  where  the  hoofs  of  their 
horses  actually  stirred  the  dust. 

In  some  portions  of  Texas  the  rise  and 
subsidence  of  the  streams  are  as  sudden  as 
those  of  Central  Australia.  At  none  of  the 
numerous  crossings  were  our  friends  obliged  to 
swim  their  animals. 

On  the  third  day  they  were  checked  by  a 
norther,  which  caught  them  in  the  middle  of 
the  plain,  where  nothing  in  the  nature  of  a 
shelter  was  available.  But  the  Texans  met  the 
crisis  in  an  odd  way. 

First  blanketing  their  ponies,  they  scooped 
out  small,  circular  holes  in  the  ground,  into 
which  they  placed  dried  buffalo  chips,  and 
dried  blades  of  grass.  When  these  were 
fairly  burning  they  folded  their  blankets 
about  their  bodies  so  as  to  envelop  their  heads, 
and  then  sat  over  the  openings,  allowing 
enough  space  to  save  the  fires  from  being 
smothered.     While  the  situation  had  its  dis- 


198  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

comforts,  it  afforded  a  grateful  degree  of 
warmth,  wbicti  none  enjoyed  more  than  Her- 
bert, who  could  not  help  laughing  at  the 
comical  figures  they  made. 

The  norther,  which  fortunately  did  not  last 
long,  was  followed  by  a  cold,  drizzling  rain, 
which  would  have  been  uncomfortable  to  the 
last  degree  but  for  the  slickers  of  oiled  linen 
that  had  been  provided  for  such  emergencies. 
The  Texans,  when  they  overtook  the  pack 
animals,  made  certain  that  these  garments 
were  secured,  for  it  was  inevitable  that  the 
long  ride  before  them  should  be  marked  by 
occasional  bad  weather. 

It  was  impossible  to  obtain  good  camping 
grounds  at  all  times,  though  the  party  did 
not  often  suffer  in  this  respect.  While  now 
and  then  they  went  a  day  with  only  a  single 
meal,  it  cannot  be  said  they  actually  suffered  ; 
but  the  main  purpose  of  the  pursuers  was 
speed,  and  they  were  exasperated  to  find  how 
cleverly  Rickard  held  his  own.  Not  only 
that,  but  there  was  reason  to  fear  he  was  draw- 
ing away  from  them.  It  was  impossible,  even 
with  the  wonderful  woodcraft  of  the  pursuers, 


ACROSS  THE  BORDER.  199 

to  make  sure  of  this,  for  several  liours  cannot 
show  a  perceptible  difference  in  the  trail  of 
three  horsemen  ;  but  the  Texans  insisted  that 
there  was  greater  space  between  them  than  at 
the  hour  of  opening  the  pursuit. 

Since  it  was  not  believed  that  Rickard  had 
a  field  glass  with  him,  the  pursuers  would 
have  gained  a  great  advantage  could  they 
have  got  nigh  enough  to  see  him,  which  was 
the  very  thing  they  were  unable  to  do. 

I  must  not  forget  to  make  known  one 
important  fact.  You  will  remember  the  real 
cause  of  Herbert  Watrous'  journey  across 
Texas,  which  was  to  regain  the  health  that 
was  seriously  threatened  by  his  bad  habits 
and  rapid  growth.  While  he  received  vast 
benefit  from  breathing  the  pure  air  of  the 
South-west,  it  was  his  forced  march,  as  it  may 
be  called,  to  New  Mexico  that  did  the  splen- 
did work  for  him. 

The  continuous  exercise,  the  crystalline 
atmosphere,  the  deep,  refreshing  sleep,  the 
abstention  from  tobacco,  nourishing  food 
(which,  though  only  partially  cooked  and 
eaten  at  long  intervals,  was  the  very  best  diet 


200  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

he  could  have  obtained),  in  short  the  "  rough- 
ing it,"  in  the  truest  sense,  was  the  true 
"elixir  of  life,"  and  wrought  a  change  in  the 
young  man  which,  could  his  parents  have 
witnessed,  they  would  have  pronounced  mar- 
vellous. 

The  sickly  complexion  was  succeeded  by  a 
ruddy  brown,  the  effect  of  the  wind,  storms, 
and  sun ;  his  shoulders  straightened,  his 
slight,  hacking  cough  vanished,  and  he  felt 
every  morning,  noon,  and  night  that  he  was 
gaining  strength  and  health. 

It  has  been  said  that  no  perfectly  healthy 
person  can  suffer  depression  of  spirits  for  a 
long  time.  Nature  will  rebound  and  lift  him 
above  the  gloom.  Herbert  Watrous  won- 
dered more  than  once,  while  riding  across  the 
prairie,  or  ]ying  upon  the  grass,  or  springing 
into  the  saddle  in  the  morning,  that  he  should 
be  so  buoyant  and  hopeful  when  the  youth 
whom  he  loved  best  in  all  the  world  was  in 
peril  of  his  life.  He  reproved  himself  that  he 
should  feel  thus,  but,  all  the  same,  he  could 
not  help  it. 

This  lightness  of  spirits  was  not  wholly  due 


ACROSS  THE   BORDER.  201 

to  his  rapidly  improving  health,  but  to  the 
fact  that  he  was  convinced  there  was  a  grow- 
ing reason  to  hope  for  the  best.  Whatever 
the  vicious  Rickard  might  intend  to  do  with 
Nick  Ribsam  in  the  way  of  revenge,  it  was 
clear  his  instant  taking  off  did  not  form  a  part 
of  the  scheme.  The  fact  that,  as  the  day 
passed,  Nick  still  kept  his  place  among  the 
living,  was  good  ground  for  hoping  that  he 
would  continue  to  do  so  indefinitely.  Better 
still,  Strubell  and  Lattin  agreed  with  him, 
though  neither  was  as  sanguine  as  Herbert 
himself. 

There  came  one  of  those  bright,  perfect 
days,  when  the  sunshine  seemed  more  golden, 
the  air  clearer,  and  the  sky  bluer  than  is  ever 
seen  elsewhere.  Herbert  noticed  that  his 
companions  were  unusually  interested  in  the 
surrounding  scenery.  The  prairie  was  mostly 
of  the  rolling  kind,  though  not  to  a  marked 
degree,  and  the  grass  was  so  plentiful  and 
succulent  that  the  grazing  could  not  have  been 
improved.  They  had  forded  a  small  stream, 
and,  gazing  in  any  direction,  nothing  but  the 
same  apparently  endless  plain  greeted  the  eye. 


202  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

K'ot  a  liill  or  mountain  range  was  perceived  in 
any  portion  of  tlie  horizon. 

"Herbert,"  said  Strubell,  looking  across 
from  Ms  saddle,  "in  what  part  of  the  world 
do  you  suppose  we  are  ?  " 

"  Why,"  replied  the  youth,  surprised  by 
the  question,  "  we  must  be  well  advanced  into 
Western  Texas." 

"  We  are  in  New  Mexico,"  said  the  Texan, 
with  a  smile,  "  and  have  been  there  for  twenty- 
four  hours." 

"  That's  good  news,  though  I  was  expecting 
it  before  long." 

"I  wasn  t  sure  of  the  exact  spot  where  we 
crossed  the  border,  but  it  took  place  yester- 
day ;  we  are  beyond  the  twenty-sixth  merid- 
ian, with  the  Sand  Hills  far  to  the  east  of  us, 
and  north  of  the  thirty-second  parallel." 

"  And  how  much  further  to  the  ranch  ? " 

"The  Pecos  is  less  than  fifty  miles  away, 
and  just  on  the  other  side  of  that  is  Mr.  Lord's 
ranch.  Hello !  "  he  added,  quickly  bringing 
his  glass  to  his  eyes;  "we  have  seen  a  few 
Indians,  but,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  yonder 
comes  a  white  man." 


ACROSS   THE  BORDER.  203 

Herbert  was  quick  to  bring  his  glass  into 
use,  and  instantly  saw  that  his  friend  was 
right.  An  individual  was  drawing  near  who 
was  destined  to  play  an  important  part  in  the 
stirring  incidents  at  hand. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

A  RELIC   OF   OTHER  DAYS. 

I  MUST  not  omit  to  say  that  during  the  days 
occupied  in  the  long  ride  toward  the  north- 
west, our  friends  saw  Indians  more  than  once. 
They  were  generally  straggling  parties,  who 
viewed  the  three  horsemen  with  as  much 
curiosity  as  our  friends  studied  them.  They 
were  either  Comanches  or  Kioways,  though 
the  hunting  grounds  of  the  latter  were  far  to 
the  eastward.  Close  to  the  New  Mexican 
boundary  they  observed  a  half  dozen  warriors, 
who  the  Texans  said  were  Apaches.  They 
followed  the  whites  for  one  afternoon,  dis- 
charging their  guns  from  a  distance,  and  more 
than  once  seemed  on  the  point  of  attacking 
them ;  but  a  shot  from  Lattin  wounded  a 
dusky  raider  badly,  after  which  all  drew  off 
and  were  seen  no  more. 

The  sight  of  a  white  man  riding  toward 
them,  with  the  evident  purpose  of  a  meeting, 

204 


A    RELIC   OF   OTHER   DAYS.  205 

centred  the  interest  of  the  three  on  him.  He 
was  mounted  on  a  wiry  "  plug,"  and  as  he 
drew  near  was  seen  to  be  one  of  those  individ- 
uals occasional]}^  met  in  the  wildest  parts  of 
the  great  West  a  generation  ago.  He  belonged 
to  the  trappers  and  hunters,  who,  leaving  the 
confines  of  civilization  at  the  close  of  the 
summer  season,  spent  the  severe  winters  in 
trapping  beavers,  otters,  and  other  fur-bearing 
animals.  They  faced  the  perils  of  vengeful 
red  men,  wild  beasts,  and  the  rigorous  winters 
for  the  sake  of  the  pittance  paid  at  the  frontier 
posts  and  towns  for  the  scant  peltries  carried 
thither. 

The  man  who  rode  up  had  but  the  single 
animal,  his  worldly  possessions  being  strapj^ed 
in  place  behind  him,  while  his  long,  old- 
fashioned  rifle  rested  across  the  saddle  in 
front.  His  dress  may  be  described  as  a  cross 
between  that  of  a  cowboy  and  an  Indian.  His 
hat  was  of  the  sombrero  order,  but  he  wore  a 
skin  hunting  shirt,  leggings  and  moccasins, 
and  possessed  a  massive  frame  which  must 
have  been  the  repository  of  immense  strength. 

His  face  was  a  study.     His  hair  was  long, 


206  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

and,  like  fhe  beard  that  covered  his  face, 
plentifully  sprinkled  with  gray.  His  small 
eyes  were  light  in  color,  restless,  bright,  and 
twinkling ;  his  nose  large  and  Roman  in  form, 
and  his  voice  a  mellow  bass. 

The  trapper  was  yet  several  rods  distant 
when  Lattin  exclaimed  in  a  surprised  under- 
tone : 

"  Why,  that's  old  Eph,  as  sure  as  I  live  !  " 

"So  it  is,"  added  Strubell  ;  "I  haven't 
seen  him  for  years." 

The  hunter  recognized  the  Texan  at  the  same 
moment,  and  the  movement  of  his  heavy  beard 
showed  he  was  smiling,  though  it  was  impos- 
sible to  see  his  mouth.  He  uttered  a  hearty 
salutation  as  he  came  forward,  and  grasped 
each  hand  in  turn,  being  introduced  by  Stru- 
bell to  Herbert,  who  noticed  the  searching 
look  he  fixed  for  a  moment  on  his  face. 

"I'm  glad  to  know  you,  younker,"  he  said, 
almost  crushing  his  hand  ;  "but  I'm  s' prised 
to  meet  you  so  soon  after  seeing  another ;  I 
aint  used  to  running  agin  boys  in  this  part  of 
the  world ;  but  things  seem  to  be  gettin'  end- 
ways the  last  few  years,  and  I've  made  up  my 


A   RELIC   OF   OTHER   DATS.  207 

mind  tliar's  powerful  little  in  the  trappin' 
business  any  longer." 

Epli  Bozeman,  as  Strubell  announced  him, 
proved  by  the  words  just  uttered  that  lie  had 
seen  Nick  Ribsam,  and  therefore  must  have 
news  to  impart.  Since  he  had  come  directly 
over  the  trail  of  the  horse  thieves,  the  Texans 
had  suspected  the  other  fact  before  he  made  it 
known. 

After  the  exchange  of  a  few  questions  and 
answers,  during  which  Bozeman  stated  that  he 
was  on  his  way  to  Austin  to  hunt  up  an  old 
friend,  who  had  been  engaged  for  a  number  of 
years  in  buying  and  selling  mustangs,  Strubell 
explained  the  business  that  had  brought  him 
and  his  companions  over  the  border  into  New 
Mexico. 

"  How  far  are  we  behind  Rickard  and  the 
others?" 

The  trapper  turned  in  his  saddle  and  looked 
to  the  rear  for  a  few  seconds  without  speak- 
ing. His  forehead  was  wrinkled  with  thought, 
but  it  did  not  take  him  long  to  answer  the 
question. 

"  You    are  thirty-five  miles  or  tharabouts 


208  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

from  the  Pecos,  and  Bell  and  Harman  will 
cross  the  stream  about  noon,  which  is  two 
hours  off,  so  5^ou  may  say  thar  is  thirty  miles 
at  ween  you." 

"There  wasn't  more  than  a  dozen  when  we 
started,"  was  the  remark  of  the  disgusted  Lat- 
tin,  "so  we  have  been  losing  ground  for  more 
than  a  week  that  we've  been  chasing  'em." 

"Thar  can't  be  any  doubt  of  that 'cordin' 
to  your  own  words,"  replied  the  trapper ;  "  but 
if  you  keep  on  you'll  be  up  with  'em  by  the 
end  of  two  days." 

"How  do  you  make  that  out?"  asked 
Strubell. 

"'Cause  they're  goin'  to  stop  at  the  ranch 
layin'  just  beyond." 

Strubell  and  Lattin  exchanged  glances,  and 
Herbert,  who  was  watching  them,  was  satisfied 
that  the  news  did  not  surprise  them.  They 
had  expected  it  from  the  first  or  they  would 
not  have  persevered  thus  far. 

"I  met  'em  yesterday,"  continued Bozeman, 
"  not  fur  back  ;  they  had  halted  to  cook  a 
young  antelope  that  Harman  shot,  and  I  jined 
in  on  the  chorus." 


A   RELIC   OF   OTHER   DAYS.  209 

"  What  did  they  say  to  you  ? " 

"Nothin'  in  partic'lar  ;  I  told  'em  vvhar  I 
was  goin',  and  asked  'em  what  they  war  doin' 
in  this  part  of  tlie  world.  They  said  they  war 
on  thar  way  to  look  at  that  ranch  I  spoke 
about  on  t'other  side  of  the  Pecos,  and  it 
might  be  they  would  si3end  some  time 
thar." 

"  Did  they  say  anything  about  the  boy  with 
them?"  asked  Herbert,  whose  curiosity  was 
at  the  highest  point. 

"  Yas— consid'rable.  I  asked  who  he  was 
and  whar  he  come  from  ;  Bell  told  me  he 
was  a  younker  as  wanted  to  take  a  trip 
through  Texas  far  his  health— though  he's 
the  healthiest  younker  I've  looked  on  for 
many  a  day— and  tharfur  they  war  takin' 
him   along." 

"Did  you  have  anything  to  say  to  Nick ? " 

"Who's  Nick?"  asked  the  trapper,  with 
another  movement  of  the  beard  around  his 
mouth  that  showed  he  was  smiling. 

"  He's  the  boy— my  friend  that  we're  look- 
ing after." 

"I  shook  hands  with  him,  give  him  some 

14 


210  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

good  advice  tliat  he  thanked  me  for,  and  that 
was  all." 

"I  sui)pose  he  was  afraid  to  say  anything 
more." 

"It  must  have  been  that ;  Bell  and  Harman 
watched  him  powerful  close,  and  though  he 
looked  as  if  he  would  like  to  add  something, 
he  didn't.  I  tell  you,"  continued  the  trap- 
per, addressing  Strubell  and  the  others,  "I 
s'pected  something  was  wrong,  though  I 
didn't  say  nothin',  'cause  thar  warn't  any 
show  for  me  doin'  anything.  I'm  s' prised  to 
hear  what  you  say,  and,  boys,  if  you  want  me 
to  give  you  any  help,  I'm  yours  to  command." 

This  was  said  with  a  heartiness  that  left  no 
doubt  of  its  sincerity.  His  friends  were  de- 
lighted  with  the  offer,  and  Herbert  especially 
was  sure  that  no  better  thing  could  hapi3en. 
He  assured  old  Eph  he  should  be  well  paid  for 
his  trouble.  The  trapper  did  not  refuse, 
though  his  proposal  was  made  without  any 
idea  of  the  kind  ;  bat,  as  he  confessed,  matters 
had  gone  ill  with  him  for  a  long  time,  and  he 
was  in  need  of  all  he  could  honestly  earn. 

He  had  known  Rickard  and  Slidham  for  ten 


A   RELIC   OF   OTHER  DAYS.  211 

years,  and  was  aware  of  the  crooked  business 
in  which  they  were  engaged  ;  but,  inasmuch 
as  they  did  not  cross  his  path,  there  was  no 
cause  to  quarrel  with  them.  He  had  spent 
more  tlian  one  night  in  their  company,  and 
would  not  hesitate  to  do  so  again,  without 
misgiving  ;  but  when  he  learned  of  their  high- 
handed outrage,  his  sturdy  nature  was  filled 
with  wrath,  and  he  declared  himself  eager  not 
only  to  help  rescue  the  boy,  but  to  punish 
them  for  their  crime. 

This  decision  was  reached  within  ten  min- 
utes after  the  handshaking,  and  the  trai)per 
wheeled  his  pony  around  and  joined  in  the 
pursuit  without  farther  delay. 

Since  it  was  clear  that  the  others  could  not 
be  overtaken  until  they  made  their  final  halt, 
the  pursuers  let  down  in  their  pace,  and 
allowed  their  animals  to  follow  at  a  leisurely 
rate. 

It  struck  Herbert  as  very  strange  that  the 
destination  of  the  enemies  and  friends  of  Nick 
Ribsam  should  be  the  same.  Though  the  for- 
mer could  not  have  caught  sight  of  their  pur- 
suers, they  must  have  known  of  it,  and  were 


212  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

now  about  to  stop  and  give  them  time  to  come 
up,  and  make  battle,  if  they  chose,  for  the 
possession  of  the  young  man,  wlio,  without  any 
fault  of  his  own,  had  become  the  bone  of  con- 
tention. 

There  was  something  about  the  business 
that  he  could  not  understand  ;  but  by  listen- 
ing to  the  stealthy  conversation  of  his  friends 
he  gained  an  inkling  of  the  truth.  He  learned, 
too,  that  they  were  less  hopeful  of  success  than 
he.  The  almost  endless  pursuit,  however,  was 
drav/ing  to  a  close,  and  the  end,  whatever  it 
might  be,  was  at  hand. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A   RACE   WITH   AN   AVALANCHE. 

THE  little  party  had  encamped  in  a  hollow 
in  the  prairie,  where,  after  eating  their 
sparse  lunch,  they  lolled  on  the  ground,  the 
men  smoking  their  pipes,  while  their  animals 
cropped  the  grass  before  lying  down  for  the 
rest  which  they  needed  as  much  as  their 
owners. 

"Yes,"  said  Eph  Bozeman,  after  the  con- 
versation had  lasted  a  half  hour,  and  took  the 
form  of  reminiscences  on  the  part  of  the 
adults,  "I  war  eighteen  years  old  when  I  went 
on  my  first  trappin'  hunt  with  my  old  friend 
Kit  Carson,  and  there  war  three  trappers 
beside  us.  I  war  j^ounger  in  them  days  than 
now,  and  I  don't  quite  understand  how  Kit 
come  to  let  me  do  one  of  the  foolishest  things 
a  younker  of  my  age  ever  tried. 

"It  war  in  the  fall  of  the  year  that  we  five 
went  away  up  in  the  Wild  River  Mountain, 

213 


214  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

meanin'  to  stay  thar  till  spring.  Kit  had  been 
in  the  same  region  a  few  years  before,  but  he 
said  no  trap  had  ever  been  set  in  the  place,  and 
we  was  sure  of  makin'  a  good  haul  before  the 
winter  war  over.  It  was  November,  and  we 
went  to  work  at  once.  We  were  purty  well 
north,  and  so  high  up  that  I  don't  think  warm 
weather  ever  strikes  the  place. 

"  We  had  good  luck  from  the  starf,  and  by 
the  time  snow  began  to  fly  had  stowed  away 
in  the  cave  we  fixed  up  for  our  winter  quarters 
more  peltries  than  Kit  had  took  the  whole 
season  before.  That  was  good  ;  but  when  we 
begun  to  figure  up  how  much  money  we  war 
going  to  have  to  divide  down  at  Bent's  Fort, 
after  the  winter  war  over,  from  the  sale  of  the 
furs,  Kit  shook  his  head  and  said  the  season 
warn't  ended  yet. 

''  Since  we  war  sure  of  having  ugly  weather 
we  had  got  ready  for  it.  The  luggage  that 
war  strapped  to  the  back  of  our  pack  mules 
had  a  pair  of  snow-shoes  for  each  of  us,  and 
we  all  knowed  how  to  use  'em. 

"The  first  snow-fall  come  in  the  beginnin' 
of  December,  but  it  didn't  amount  to  much. 


A   RACE   WITH   AX   AVALANCHE.  215 

Howsumever,  we  catclied  it  the  next  week, 
heavy.  It  begun  comin'  down  one  afternoon 
just  as  it  war  growin'  dark.  It  war  thin  and 
sand-like,  and  when  it  hit  our  faces  stung  like 
needle  p'ints.  Carson  went  outside,  and  after 
studyin'  the  sky  as  best  he  could,  when  he 
couldn't  see  it  at  all,  said  it  war  goin'  to  be 
the  storm  of  the  winter. 

"  He  war  right,  as  he  generally  war  in  such 
matters.  AYhen  mornin'  come  it  war  snowin' 
harder  than  ever,  and  it  never  let  up  for  four 
days  and  nights.  Then  when  it  stopped  the 
fall  war  morn  a  dozen  feet  in  the  mountains. 
This  settled  like,  and  a  crust  formed  on  top, 
which  war  just  the  thing  for  our  snow-shoes. 
On  the  steep  inclines  you've  only  to  brace 
yourself  and  let  the  law  of  gravertation,  as 
I  b'lieve  they  call  it,  do  the  rest. 

"  It  war  powerful  lonely  in  our  cave  day 
after  day,  with  nothing  to  do  but  to  talk  and 
smoke  and  sleep,  and  now  and  then  steal  out 
to  see  if  the  mules  war  safely  housed.  It  got 
so  bad  after  a  while  that  we  all  put  on  our 
snow-shoes  and  started  out  for  a  little  fun. 

"  About  a  mile  off  we  struck  a  gulch  which 


216  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

we  had  all  seen  many  times.  It  war  the 
steepest  that  we  knowed  of  within  fifty  miles. 
From  the  top  to  whar  it  broadened  out  into  a 
valley  war  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  and  all 
the  way  war  like  the  roof  of  a  house.  I  s'pose 
it  war  a  little  more  than  a  hundred  yards  wide 
at  the  top,  whar  the  upper  part  of  the  biggest 
kind  of  an  avalanche  had  formed.  There  the 
wind  and  odd  shape  of  the  rocks  and  ground 
had  filled  the  place  with  snow  that  war  deeper 
than  the  tallest  meetin' -house  you  ever  laid 
eyes  on.  It  had  drifted  and  piled,  reachin' 
far  back  till  it  war  a  snow  mountain  of  itself. 
Don't  you  forget,  too,"  added  the  trapper 
impressively,  "that  this  snow  warn't  loose 
drift  stuff,  but  a  solid  mass  that,  when  it  once 
started,  would  go  down  that  gulch  like  so 
much  rock,  if  you  can  think  of  a  rock  as  big 
as  that. 

*'We  war  standin'  and  lookin'  at  this 
mountain  of  snow,  wonderin'  how  long  it 
would  be  before  it  would  swing  loose  and 
plunge  into  the  valley  below,  when  a  fool 
feelin'  come  over  me.  I  turned  to  Kit  and  the 
other  fellers  and  offered  to  bet  a  beaver  skin 


A    RACE   WITH   AN   AVALANCHE.  217 

that  I  could  start  even  witli  the  avalanche  and 
beat  it  down  into  the  valley.  Carson  wouldn't 
take  the  bet,  for  he  saw  what  rashness  it  war. 
Yet  he  didn't  try  to  dissuade  me,  and  the 
other  chaps  took  me  up  right  off.  The  idea 
got  into  my  head  that  Carson  thought  I  war 
afraid,  and  then  nothin'  could  have  held  me 
back. 

"  It  didn't  take  us  long  to  get  things  ready. 
One  of  the  trappers  went  with  me  to  see  that 
the  start  war  all  right,  while  Kit  and  the  other 
picked  thar  way  to  the  valley  below,  so  as  to 
have  a  sight  of  the  home  stretch. 

"It  took  us  a  good  while,  and  we  had  to 
work  hard  to  make  our  way  to  the  foot  of  the 
avalanche.  AVhen  we  got  thar  at  last  and  I 
looked  up  at  that  mountain  of  snow  ready  to 
tumble  right  over  onto  me,  I  don't  mind  sayin' 
I  did  feel  weak  in  the  knees ;  but  I  wouldn't 
have  backed  out  if  I  knowed  thar  war  only  one 
chance  in  a  million  of  my  ever  livin'  to  tell  it. 

"  Tlie  chap  with  me  said  if  I  wanted  to  give 
it  up  it  would  be  all  right— he  told  me  after- 
ward that  he  war  sorry  he  had  took  my  bet — 
but  I  laughed,  and  told  him  it  war  a  go. 


218  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

"He  helped  me  fix  my  snow-shoes,  and 
wouldn't  let  me  start  till  he  seen  everything 
war  right.  Then  I  stood  on  the  edge  of  the 
gulch  and  held  myself  still  by  graspin'  the 
corner  of  the  rock  behind  me.  He  climbed 
above,  so  he  could  peep  over  and  see  me.  He 
said  I  war  so  far  below  that  I  looked  like  a  fly, 
and  I  know  that  he  didn'  t  look  much  bigger 
than  that  to  me.  It  took  him  so  long  to  climb 
to  the  perch  that  my  hand  was  beginnin'  to 
grow  numb,  when  I  heard  his  voice,  faint  and 
distant-like  : 

"  'Hello,  Eph,  down  thar !  Are  you 
ready  ? ' 

"  'Yes,  and  tired  of  waitin','  I  answered. 

"  '  One — two— three  ! ' 

"As  he  said  the  last  word,  and  it  was  so 
faint  that  I  could  hardly  hear  him,  him  and 
me  fired  our  pistols  at  the  same  time,  as  you 
sometimes  see  at  a  foot  race,  though  thar  tbey 
ginerally  have  but  the  one  pistol. 

"You  understand  how  it  was,"  added  the 
trapper  for  the  benefit  of  Herbert  Watrous  : 
"  them  shots  war  fur  the  avalanche.  Bein'  as 
we  war  startin'  on  a  foot  race,  it  war  right 


A   RACE   WITH   AX   AVALANCHE.  219 

that  we  should  have  a  fair  start,  and  the  only 
•way  of  doin"  that  was  by  settin'  off  some  gun- 
powder. If  the  avalanche  was  hangin',  as  it 
seemed  to  be,  the  shakin'  of  the  air  made  by 
our  pistols  would  set  it  loose  and  start  it  down 
tlie  valley  after  me.  But  onless  it  war 
balanced  just  that  way  the  broadside  of  a 
frigate  wouldn't  budge  it. 

"Howsumever,  that  war  the  lookout  of  the 
avalanche  and  not  mine,  but,  bein'  as  I  meant 
it  should  be  fair  and  square,  I  waited  after 
firin'  my  pistol,  lookin'  and  listenin'.  I  didn't 
mean  to  start  in  ahead  of  the  thing,  nor  did 
I  mean  it  should  get  the  best  of  me.  As 
like  as  not  it  wouldn't  budge,  and  then  of 
course  the  race  war  off. 

"For  a  second  or  two  I  couldn't  hear 
nothin'  but  the  moanin'  of  the  wind  away  up 
where  the  other  feller  had  climbed.  Then  I 
heard  a  sound  like  the  risin'  of  a  big  storm. 
It  war  low  and  faint  at  first,  but  it  quickly 
growed  into  the  most  awful  roar  mortal  man 
ever  heard.     Just  then  my  friend  shouted  : 

"  '  Here  she  comes  !    Off  with  you  !  ' 

"I  give  myself  a  shove   out  over   the  top 


220  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

of  the  snow,  curvin'  about,  so  that  when  I 
reached  the  middle  of  tlie  gulch  I  started 
downward.  In  that  second  or  two  I  seen  the 
whole  avalanche  under  way,  hardly  a  hundred 
yards  off,  and  it  war  comin'  for  me  like  a  rail- 
road train,  and  goin'  faster  every  second. 

"You  can  make  up  your  mind  that  I  war 
doin'  some  tall  travellin'  myself. 

"  Whew  !  boys,  I  can't  tell  you  much  about 
that  race.  The  avalanche  didn't  flatten  out 
and  shoot  down  the  gorge  in  loose  masses,  as 
I've  seen  'em  do,  but  just  stuck  together  and 
come  like  one  solid  half  of  the  mountain  itself. 

"If  it  catched  me  I  was  a  goner  just  as  sure 
as  if  run  down  by  a  steam-engine.  But  you 
would  think  thar  couldn't  be  any  chance  of  it 
catchin'  me,'  cause  it  war  gravertation  that  was 
pullin'  us  both,  and  one  oughter  go  as  fast  as 
t'  other.  The  only  thing  I  had  to  do  was  to  keep 
my  feet  and  stay  in  the  middle  of  the  gorge. 
If  I  catched  one  of  my  toes  in  the  snow  crust 
I  would  tumble,  and  before  I  could  help  my- 
self the  avalanche  would  squelch  me. 

"I  can  never  forget,  but  I  can't  tell  how  I 
felt  goin'  down  that  three-quarters  of  a  mile 


A   RACE   WITH   AN   AVALANCHE.  221 

like  a  cannon  ball.  The  wind  cut  my  face  as 
if  it  war  a  harrycane,  and  everything  was  so 
misty  like  I  couldn't  see  anything  plain,  and 
so  I  war  in  mortal  fear  of  turnin'  out  of  the 
course  and  hittin'  the  side  of  the  gulch, 

"I  don't  know  how  it  war,  but  once  I  felt 
myself  goin'  over.  I  s'pose  I  must  have  got 
out  of  line  and  tried  to  get  back  without 
exactly  knowin'  what  I  war  doin'.  Kit  Car- 
son, who  war  watchin'  me,  said  I  went  two 
hundred  feet  balanced  on  one  snow-shoe.  He 
then  give  me  up,  for  he  war  sure  thar  warn't  a 
shadder  of  a  chance  for  me. 

'"But  I  swung  back  agin,  and,  keepin'  to 
the  middle  of  the  gulch,  soon  struck  the  level, 
and  went  skimmin'  away  as  fast  as  ever  till  I 
begun  goin'  up  the  incline  on  t'other  side.  I 
war  doin'  that  in  fine  style  when  the  p'int  of 
one  of  my  shoes  dipped  under  the  snow  crust, 
and  I  know  I  turned  a  round  dozen  summer- 
sets before  I  stopped.  It  sort  of  mixed  things 
in  my  brain,  but  the  snow  saved  me  from 
gettin'  hurt,  and  though  the  avalanche  come 
powerful  close,  it  didn't  quite  reach  me,  and  I 
won  my  beaver  skin." 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

THE  EANCH. 

EPH  BOZEMAN  was  so  familiar  with  the 
Pecos  River,  from  its  source  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  its  junction  with  the  Rio 
Grande,  that  he  conducted  his  friends  to  a  ford- 
ing place,  where  it  was  crossed  without  any  of 
them  wetting  their  feet.  Riding  up  the  oppo- 
site bank,  they  started  across  the  compara- 
tively level  country,  and  by  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  struck  a  piece  of  grazing  ground, 
which  the  hunters  told  him  belonged  to  the 
ranch  that  the  banker,  Mr.  Lord,  had  sent 
Strubell  and  Lattin  to  inspect. 

The  lands  were  so  extensive  that  there  were 
many  portions  from  which  not  the  first 
glimpse  could  be  gained  of  the  adobe  structure 
that  was  erected  nearly  a  half  century  before. 

The  little  party  pushed  onward,  and  before 
the  sun  dipped  below  the  horizon  began  the 

fStSt 


THE   RANCH.  2^3 

ascent  of  a  moderate  slope,  from  the  top  of 
which  the  coveted  view  could  be  obtained. 

Since  Rickard  and  his  companion  must  have 
known  of  the  pursuit,  they  would  be  on  the 
lookout  for  the  Texans,  who  were  eager  to 
befriend  Nick  Ribsam.  It  was  decided  not  to 
allow  them  to  know  the  cowboys  had  arrived 
in  the  vicinity  before  the  following  day. 
Strubell  hinted  that  important  events  might 
be  brought  about  between  the  setting  and  the 
rising  of  the  sun. 

Herbert,  who  began  to  feel  a  natural  ner- 
vousness as  the  crisis  approached,  made  several 
inquiries  about  Jim-John,  the  half-breed,  and 
his  companion,  who  had  been  left  behind. 
Were  they  not  likely  to  abandon  the  pack 
horses  on  discovering  they  had  been  flanked 
by  the  Texans,  and  hasten  to  the  help  of  the 
couple  that  had  been  the  first  to  cross  over 
from  Western  Texas  to  New  Mexico  ?  But 
when  Eph  Bozeman  agreed  with  Strubell  and 
Lattin  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  feared 
of  that  nature,  Herbert  bade  good-by  to  his 
fears  and  fixed  his  attention  on  that  which  was 
in  front. 


224  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

Leaving  their  animals  in  the  hollow,  where 
they  were  safe  against  disturbance,  the  four 
climbed  the  elevation,  the  youth  carrying  one 
field  glass,  while  Strubell  had  the  other.  The 
trapper  had  never  used  anything  of  the  kind, 
and  refused  to  do  so  now.  He  claimed  that 
his  eyes  were  as  good  as  ever — and  he  was 
undoubtedly  right — and  he  needed  no  artificial 
aid. 

It  looked  like  useless  precaution,  but  on 
reaching  the  crest  the  party  crouched  low 
iu  order  to  render  themselves  less  conspicuous. 

"  Thar  she  is  !  "  said  old  Eph,  extending  his 
left  hand  to  westward,  while  his  right  grasped 
his  inseparable  rifle  ;  "  and  I'll  bet  them  new- 
fangled machines  won't  show  you  anything 
lucre  than  I  see  this  very  minute." 

A  mile  away  stood  a  broad,  firm  building,  of 
a  slatish  yellow  color  as  seen  through  the 
clear  air.  It  was  of  adobe  or  sun-dried  bricks, 
which,  in  the  course  of  time,  had  become  com- 
pact and  hard  enough  to  resist  a  bombardment 
of  six-pounders  better  than  many  forts  erected 
for  that  purpose. 

The    land    immediately    surrounding    the 


THE   RAXCn.  225 

structure  was  smooth  and  quite  level,  and 
covered  with  grass  which  wore  a  soft,  beautiful 
tint,  mellowed  by  the  intervening  distance. 
On  the  further  side  of  the  building  were  a 
few  bushes,  bearing  a  resemblance  to  the  well 
known  mesquite  growth  so  common  in  many 
portions  of  the  Southwest. 

These  were  the  main  features  of  the  scene 
when  viewed  by  the  unaided  eye,  but  the 
helpful   field  glass   added  something. 

Lying  on  his  face,  with  his  instrument 
pointed  at  the  building,  Herbert  Watrous 
studied  it  closely.  He  offered  the  instrument 
to  Lattin,  but  he,  seeing  how  much  the  youth 
was  interested,  declined,  and  waited  until 
Strubell  was  ready  to  pass  the  other  to 
him. 

The  youth  noted  the  broad  door  in  the 
middle,  with  a  small  narrow  window  on  either 
side  of  the  upper  story.  The  front  was  like 
that  of  an  immense  box,  there  being  little 
slope  to  the  roof.  It  was  probably  one  of 
those  mission  houses  built  in  the  preceding 
century  by  the  Jesuits,  who  devoted  their  lives 
to  the  conversion  of   the  Indians,  and  that, 

15 


226  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

having  been  abandoned  by  them  as  civiliza- 
tion advanced,  had  been  taken  possession  of 
by  those  who  secured  a  claim  to  the  extensive 
tract  which  surrounded  it. 

Being  questioned  on  this  point,  Bozeman  as 
well  as  the  Texans  replied  that  such  was 
undoubtedly  the  fact,  for  it  was  far  different 
from  the  flimsy  structures  of  wood  used  by 
ranchmen  in  other  sections.  There  was  a 
court  inside,  after  the  fashion  of  the  older 
houses  in  Spanish  countries,  the  building  itself 
enclosing  this  open  space,  so  that  when  manned 
by  only  a  few,  it  was  capable  of  withstanding 
the  attack  of  a  large  force. 

Bozeman  stated  further  that  the  ranch  was 
abandoned  because  of  the  Indians.  While 
the  men  who  made  their  homes  there  were 
safe  so  long  as  they  stayed  behind  the  wall, 
they  could  not  afford  to  remain  there.  Hun- 
dreds of  cattle  had  been  killed  or  run  off  by 
the  Apaches,  whose  chief  hunting  grounds  are 
further  west,  until  the  ranchmen  who  essayed 
the  business  became  discouraged  and  gave  it 
up. 

As    a    consequence,    the    place    had    been 


THE   RANCH.  227 

allowed  to  run  to  waste  for  years.  Durino* 
that  time  the  grazing  had  improved,  though  a 
large  part  of  the  thousands  of  acres  had  paid 
tribute  to  other  cattlemen.  Besides  this,  the 
marauding  Apaches,  with  which  our  govern- 
ment was  having  much  trouble  at  that  time, 
were  mainly  in  the  western  part  of  the  terri- 
tory and  in  Arizona.  This  made  the  ranch  so 
inviting  that  it  was  beginning  to  attract  atten- 
tion, and  when  Mr.  Lord,  in  San  Antonio,  was 
offered  it  for  what  was  really  a  small  sum, 
he  was  warranted  in  sending  a  couple  of 
trustworthy  experts  to  examine  and  report 
upon  it. 

This  was  the  destination  toward  which 
the  Texans  and  Herbert  Watrous  had  been 
riding  through  many  long  days,  and  that 
was  now  in  sight.  By  a  strange  order  of 
things,  which  at  present  he  could  not  under- 
stand, the  ranch  was  the  objective  point  also 
of  the  two  evil  men  who  held  Nick  Ribsam 
as  prisoner. 

lie  had  puzzled  his  brain  many  times  to  read 
the  meaning  of  all  this  ;  but  though  he  had 
formed  his  theory,  he  forced   himself  to  be 


228  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

content  to  wait  until  the  Texans  or  events 
themselves  should  reveal  the  truth. 

The  most  careful  scrutiny  of  the  front  and 
eastern  side  of  the  adobe  building  failed  to 
show  any  sign  of  life.  That,  however,  was  no 
proof  that  it  was  not  there.  The  horsemen 
might  have  ridden  abreast  through  the  broad 
door,  closing  it  after  them,  placed  their  horses 
within  the  numerous  quarters  facing  the  court 
within,  and  then,  climbing  to  the  roof,  watch 
the  eastern  horizon  for  a  sign  of  their  pur- 
suers. 

Fully  ten  minutes  passed  without  a  word 
being  spoken  by  our  friends,  who  were  inspect- 
ing the  building  from  the  crest  of  the  eleva- 
tion. They  were  so  intent  on  their  work  that 
nothing  else  was  thought  of. 

Having  studied  every  foot  that  was  visible, 
Herbert  went  over  it  again  several  times,  but 
with  no  better  success  than  at  first.  He  was 
gifted  with  fine  eye-sight,  and,  when  he  finally 
lowered  his  glass  with  a  sigh,  he  glanced 
across  at  Strubell,  who,  having  passed  the 
other  instrument  to  Lattin,  was  looking 
expectantly  into  the  face  of  the  youth. 


THE   RANCH.  229 

''  How  did  you  make  out  ? "  he  asked. 

"I  coukln't  find  anything  at  all,"  replied 
Herbert.     "  Did  you  ?  " 

"  Well,  yes  ;  Rickard,  Slidham,  and  Nick 
are  there,  but  a  bigger  surprise  awaits  them 
than  usy 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Point  your  glass  over  to  the  left,"  replied 
the  Texan,  "and  I  think  you  will  see  some- 
thing that  will  surprise  you." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

BELL   EICKARD'S   SCHEME. 

HERBERT  WATROUS  turned  his  field 
glass  to  the  left,  and,  for  the  first  time 
since  he  caught  sight  of  the  adobe  structure^ 
gave  attention  to  another  part  of  his  field  of 
vision. 

The  cause  of  the  Texan's  remark  was  ap- 
parent. A  half  mile  beyond  the  building  was 
a  party  of  horsemen,  numbering  perhaps  a 
dozen.  They  were  grouped  together  and  ap- 
parently holding  a  discussion  over  some  matter 
in  which  all  must  have  been  interested,  since 
they  kept  in  such  close  order. 

The  youth  had  become  accustomed  to  seeing 
Indians  since  leaving  San  Antonio,  and  needed 
no  one  to  tell  him  that  these  people  belonged 
to  that  race.  The  distance  was  too  far  for 
them  to  show  distinctly  through  the  instru- 
ment, but  enough  was  seen  to  settle  the 
point. 

230 


BELL   RICKARD's   SCHEME.  231 

"  What  tribe  are  they  ?  "  he  asked,  address- 
ing all  his  companions.  Strubell  was  studying 
them  without  the  glass,  while  Lattin  had 
turned  his  gaze  thither,  and  Eph  was  lying  on 
his  face,  his  brows  wrinkled,  his  gaze  concen- 
trated on  the  group.  It  was  he  who  an- 
swered : 

'"Paches,  every  one  of  them."    ' 

''  Are  they  not  off  their  hunting  grounds  ? " 
asked  Herbert. 

"Not  'cordin'  to  thar  ideas,  for  every 
'Pache  believes  that  the  whole  North  Ameri- 
can continent  belongs  to  his  people,  which  is 
about  what  every  redskin  thinks.  Howsum- 
ever,  they  ginerally  do  thar  killin'  and  devil- 
try further  over  in  Arizona,  but  them's'Paches 
sure  as  you're  born." 

"  They  seem  to  be  as  much  interested  in  the 
building  as  we  are." 

"They've  seen  Rickard  and  Slidham  and 
the  younker  go  in  thar,  and  they're  tryin'  to 
figure  out  what  it  means.  You  see  things  are 
in  a  quar'  shape  in  these  parts." 

While  the  party  lay  on  the  crest  of  the 
elevation,  looking   at   the  building   and    the 


232  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

council  of  warriors  beyond,  Strubell  for  the 
first  time  showed  a  desire  to  make  known  to 
Herbert  Watrous  the  things  that  had  puzzled 
him.  The  strange  enterprise  had  now  reached 
a  point  where  lie  was  willing  to  talk.  He  had 
consulted  with  Lattin  and  Eph  until  there  was 
an  agreement  all  round,  and  no  cause  for 
further  secrecy  existed.  In  fact,  there  had 
never  been  any  real  cause  for  it  at  all. 

Without  quoting  the  Texan's  words,  it  may 
be  said  that  in  the  minds  of  the  party  it  was 
clear  that  Belden  Rickard,  the  noted  horse 
thief,  with  his  comi-)anion  Harman  Slidham, 
was  carrying  out  a  scheme  to  secure  a  ransom 
for  the  restoration  of  Nick  Ribsam  to  his 
friends. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Herbert  had 
held  this  belief  more  than  once,  but  he  saw  so 
many  difficulties  in  the  way  that  he  was 
awaiting  another  explanation.  He  now  asked 
Strubell  to  clear  up  the  points  that  perplexed 
him,  and  he  did,  so  far  as  he  could. 

He  wished  to  learn  why,  if  Rickard  had 
formed  the  plan  for  the  capture  of  Nick,  with 
the  idea  of  restoring  him  to  freedom  on  the 


BELL   RICKARD'S   SCHEME.  233 

payment  of  a  sum  of  money,  he  had  ridden 
hundreds  of  miles  to  reach  the  point  of  con- 
ference, when  it  might  as  well  have  been  held 
in  Texas,  and  within  sight  of  the  very  ridge 
where  Nick  fell  into  the  power  of  his  enemies. 
It  was  this  phase  of  the  question  that  had 
troubled  Herbert  greatly  and  led  him  to  fear 
the  ruffian  intended  to  take  the  life  of  his 
friend. 

Strubell  replied  that  during  the  conversation 
with  Rickard,  whom  he  had  known  for  years, 
he  picked  up  more  than  one  item  of  news 
which  surprised  him.  One  was  that  while 
making  his  long  rides  through  the  South-west, 
he  and  his  companions,  when  hard  pressed, 
were  accustomed,  at  times,  to  take  refuge  in  the 
old  mansion  house  on  the  ranch  which  Mr.  Lord 
proposed  buying.  This  had  been  abandoned, 
as  I  have  already  stated,  for  years  ;  but  in  the 
hospitable  West,  where  every  person's  doors 
are  open,  no  one  would  have  hesitated  to  enter 
the  adobe  structure,  whenever  cause  existed 
for  doing  so. 

Rickard  saw  signs  of  others  having  been 
there,  though  he  did  not  believe  the  Indians 


234  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

ever  passed  through  the  broad  doors  into  the 
courtyard  beyond.  Had  there  been  a  party  of 
settlers  or  white  men  within  they  would  have 
been  eager  to  do  so,  but  while  it  was  empty  the 
incitement  was  lacking. 

Rickard  and  his  gang  were  in  a  peculiar  sit- 
uation. The  Texans  had  reason  to  believe 
that  he  had  fully  twenty  desperate  associates 
in  pushing  his  unlawful  business  over  an 
immense  extent  of  territory,  though  it  was 
rare  that  they  all  came  together.  They  were 
not  only  in  danger  from  Indians,  as  were  all 
who  ventured  into  that  section,  but  they  were 
outlawed  by  their  own  race.  It  was  dangerous 
for  any  member  of  the  gang  to  trust  himself 
within  reach  of  the  law,  while  the  rough  bor- 
dermen  would  have  strung  up  every  one  with- 
out hesitation  could  they  have  laid  hands  on 
them. 

Leading  this  wild,  lawless  life,  it  was  neces- 
sary for  these  ruffians  to  have  retreats,  where 
they  could  feel  comparatively  safe.  A  number 
of  such  were  at  command.  Some  were  deep  in 
the  mountains,  and  one  was  the  abandoned, 
ranch.     Standing  in  the  middle  of  a  vast  and 


BELL   RICKARD'S   SCHEME.  235 

comparatively  level  plain  this  had  many  ad- 
vantages over  the  others,  while  it  was  also 
deficient  in  more  than  one  respect. 

Among  the  secret  compartments  in  the  old 
mission  house  was  a  store-room  for  provisions, 
where  Rickard  saw  that  enough  grain  was  kept 
to  last  him  and  several  companions  for  weeks. 
There  was  a  spring  of  water  that  could  not  be 
shut  off,  so  that  a  small  garrison  could  stand 
an  indefinite  siege  from  a  large  number.  In 
this  place,  the  great  horse  thief  and  his  fol- 
lowers, whether  few  or  many,  might  feel  safe. 

Had  Rickard,  after  securing  the  custody  of 
Nick  Ribsam,  proposed  his  plan  of  ransom,  he 
would  have  been  in  an  awkward  situation. 
Any  messenger  that  he  might  send  forward 
could  be  made  prisoner  by  the  Texans  and  held 
as  a  hostage.  The  little  party  itself  was  liable 
to  be  assailed  and  destroyed,  for  no  mercy 
would  have  been  showed  at  such  a  time, 
though  a  certain  rude  chivalry  prevailed  in 
other  respects. 

In  what  way  would  the  situation  be  im- 
proved if  Rickard  took  his  prisoner  to  the 
adobe  building  ?    This  was  the  question  which 


236  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

Herbert  asked  and  the  answer  to  wliicli  was 
simple. 

Behind  the  walls  of  the  massive  strnctnre 
it  was  easy  for  Rickard  to  communicate  by 
word  of  mouth  without  any  risk  to  himself. 
He  need  not  send  out  a  messenger  to  be  cap- 
tured, but  could  make  known  his  terms  to 
Nick's  friends,  who  would  be  at  liberty  to 
accept   or  reject   them. 

It  was  the  strong  suspicion  that  such  was 
the  purpose  of  the  ruffians  that  led  the  Texans 
to  make  every  effort  to  overtake  them  before 
they  reached  their  refuge.  Could  they  have 
brought  Rickard  and  his  companion  to  bay 
they  would  have  forced  their  own  terms  upon 
him. 

But  the  criminal  was  too  cunning  thus  to  be 
caught.  Leaving  the  pack  horses  for  Jim-John 
and  Brindage  to  look  after,  he  pushed  on  with 
such  vigor  that,  as  we  have  shown,  the  refuge 
was  attained  in  spite  of  all  the  pursuers  could 
do  to  prevent  it. 

Rickard  was  an  honest  fellow  in  his  early 
days  and  had  done  scouting  duty  in  the  com- 
pany of  Arden  Strubell.     It  was  this  fact  that 


BELL   RICKARD'S   SCHEME.  237 

led  the  latter  to  show  liim  a  certain  considera- 
tion when  he  was  made  prisoner  by  Nick  Rib- 
sam,  though  there  might  have  been  other  sit- 
uations in  which  they  would  have  flown  at 
each  other  with  irrestrainable  wrath. 

It  was  Strubell  who  was  the  innocent  cause 
of  the  plight  of  Nick  Ribsam.  While  he  and 
Richard  were  talking  of  nothing  in  particular, 
by  the  camp  fire,  hundreds  of  miles  away,  the 
cowboy  indulged  in  a  little  quiet  boasting 
about  the  two  youths  who  were  his  com- 
panions. He  represented  them  as  sons  of 
wealthy  parents,  who  allowed  them  to  do  as 
they  chose,  and  they  were  now  enjoying  a 
vacation  after  their  own  hearts. 

It  was  this  statement  that  gave  Richard  his 
idea  before  he  left  camp  He  hated  the  sturdy 
Nick  intensely  enough  to  shoot  him  down  at 
the  first  opportunity,  but  to  do  that  would 
intensify  the  anger  against  him,  while  it  could 
do  him  no  good,  except  so  far  as  the  satisfying 
of  his  revenge  went  ;  but  if  he  took  the  boy  to 
one  of  his  safe  retreats,  he  might  force  a  good 
round  sum  from  his  rich  parents  to  secure  his 
safety. 


238  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

The  scheme  savored  strongly  of  the  style  of 
doing  business  in  classic  Greece,  but  you  need 
not  be  told  that  it  has  been  carried  to  a  suc- 
cessful issue  more  than  once  within  these 
glorious  United  States  of  America. 


CHAPTER  XXyil. 

'^ATCIIIXG   AND   WAITING. 

THE  presence  of  the  Apaclies  witliin  a 
short  distance  of  the  building  brought 
about  a  complication  for  which  the  rescue 
party  were  as  unprepared  as  were  the  whites 
within  the  structure.  But  for  them,  one  of 
Nick's  friends  would  have  ridden  forward  and 
opened  a  conversation  with  Rickard,  by  which 
the  terms  of  the  exchange  could  have  been 
effected  with  little  delay.  Herbert  told  Stru- 
bell  that  unless  the  criminal  demanded  an 
exorbitant  price,  it  should  be  accepted. 
Although  he  had  only  a  small  amount  of 
funds  with  him,  he  would  give  him  a  draft 
that  would  be  honored  without  question  by 
Mr.  Lord  in  San  Antonio ;  and  if  Rickard 
kept  his  part  of  the  agreement,  it  would  be 
respected  by  Herbert  and  his  companions, 
who  were  governed  by  a  sense  of  honor  that 
would  prevent  any  advantage  being  taken  of 

S39 


240  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

circumstances  that  must  of  necessity  be  in 
their  favor. 

But  if  one  of  the  party  advanced  to  open 
communication,  he  would  be  observed  by  the 
watchful  Apaches  before  a  safe  point  was 
reached.  Since  Rickard  must  know  of  the 
presence  of  the  red  men,  it  was  likely  he 
would  admit  such  an  applicant  the  moment 
he  saw  his  danger,  but  a  sudden  dash  of  the 
warriors  might  shut  him  out  from  the  refuge. 

The  man  would  not  allow  the  whole  party  to 
enter,  inasmuch  as  that  would  disarrange  his 
own  plans,  though  he  was  not  apt  to  object  to 
the  visit  of  one  of  their  number.  As  yet,  he 
could  not  have  learned  that  the  white  men 
were  behind  the  elevation  of  the  prairie. 

The  simple  question,  therefore,  was  as  to 
how  Strubell  and  his  companions  could 
negotiate  with  Rickard  without  betraying 
themselves  to  the  Apaches.  Furthermore,  it 
must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  situation  of  the 
three  men  and  boy  was  extremely  dangerous. 
They  were  on  the  open  prairie,  and  liable  to 
be  discovered  by  the  red  men,  even  with  the 
exercise  of  the  extremest  care  on  their  own 


WATCHING   AND    WAITING.  241 

part.  Sucli  discovery  was  almost  certain  to  be 
followed  by  a  desperate  fight,  with  the  chances 
overwhelmingly  against  our  friends. 

This  will  be  conceded  when  it  is  remembered 
that  Geronimo  and  his  fierce  miscreants,  who 
defied  our  forces  in  the  South-west  so  long, 
never  numbered  more  than  a  fractional  part  of 
the  white  soldiers.  Those  Apaches  are  born 
fighters,  and  the  most  dangerous  Indians  that 
ever  trod  the  American  continent.  A  dozen 
of  them,  well  mounted,  would  make  short 
work  of  three  white  men  and  one  boy,  no 
matter  how  bravely  they  might  defend  them- 
selves. Eph  Bozeman  and  the  Texan  friends 
were  sure  to  do  well  and  would  tumble  more 
than  one  of  their  assailants  from  the  saddle, 
but  their  own  ultimate  destruction  was  inevi- 
table. 

The  situation  being  as  I  have  shown,  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  presence  of  the  Apaches 
immeasurably  increased  the  peril.  It  was 
agreed  that  no  movement  should  be  made 
until  nightfall,  up  to  which  time  the  main 
object  would  be  to  avoid  discovery  by  the 
swarthy  raiders- 

16 


242  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

This  was  so  important  tliat  Strubell  and 
Lattin  made  their  way  back  to  where  the 
ponies  were  grazing,  and  forced  all  of  them 
to  lie  down.  The  four  were  so  well  trained 
that  they  readily  obeyed.  They  would  keep 
that  posture,  though  suffering  from  hunger, 
until  ordered  to  rise.  There  was  no  water 
within  reach,  a  deprivation  which  the  men 
felt  as  much  as  did  the  animals. 

It  should  be  stated  that  the  words  of  Strubell 
about  the  plans  of  Bell  Rickard  gave  Herbert 
a  reasonable  explanation  of  the  course  of  Nick 
Kibsam,  which,  until  then,  was  as  much  of  a 
puzzle  as  the  conduct  of  his  captors.  Doubt- 
less he  had  been  convinced  from  the  words  and 
action  of  his  party  that  his  life  was  not  in 
immediate  danger,  and  he  therefore  refrained 
from  increasing  their  enmity  by  any  attempt 
at  escape.  Had  a  good  chance  presented,  he 
would  have  been  quick  to  take  it,  but  he 
was  carefully  watched  and  he  bided  his 
time. 

Returning  from  the  animals,  the  Texans  lay 
down  on  the  grass  beside  Herbert  and  Boze- 
man,  and  resumed  watching  the  Apaches,  with 


WATCHING   AND   WAITING.  243 

an  occasional  study  of  the  front  of  the  build- 
ing for  signs  of  the  party  behind  the  walls. 

The  Indians  remained  grouped  in  close  order 
for  nearly  half  an  hour.  Then  one  of  their 
number  galloped  off  for  a  hundred  yards  or 
more,  circled  about,  and  returned.  Shortly 
after,  a  couple  did  the  same   thing. 

"Do  j^ou  know  what  that  means?"  asked 
Eph  of  Herbert. 

"I  have  no  idea." 

"It  doesn't  mean  nothin'  ;  it's  hard  for  a 
redskin  to  set  still,  though  he  can  do  it  for 
hours  at  a  stretch  when  he  sees  a  chance  of  lift- 
ing any  ha'r.  Them  chaps,  and  their  ponies 
too,  get  tired  of  stayin'  in  one  spot,  so  they 
take  a  little  spurt  like  that  to  set  thar  blood 
goin\     Thar  they  go  again  !  " 

The  party  broke  apart,  and  soon  the  whole 
company  were  circling  about  and  back  and 
forth  like  a  lot  of  equestrians  in  a  circus  ring. 
They  doubled  in  and  out,  in  the  most  bewil- 
dering fashion,  but  the  men,  who  devoted 
themselves  to  watching  them  closely,  agreed 
that  there  were  about  a  dozen,  as  at  first  sup- 
posed. 


244  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

These  exhibitions  of  horsemanship  were  of 
special  interest  to  the  party  lying  down  behind 
the  elevation,  for  the  Apaches  needed  not  to 
extend  their  circling  far  to  pass  behind  the 
ridge,  when  they  would  be  sure  to  discover 
them.  And  just  about  that  time,  as  Stru- 
bell  expressed  it,  the  band  would  begin  to 
play. 

The  red  men  rode  so  far  to  the  eastward 
more  than  once  that  this  discovery  seemed 
inevitable.  It  caused  much  anxiety,  and  our 
friends  withdrew  their  attention  for  a  time 
from  the  building  and  kept  it  upon  their  more 
active  enemies. 

The  situation  was  peculiarly  trying  to  Her- 
bert Watrous,  who  understood  his  danger  in 
case  of  an  attack  from  the  Apaches,  He 
would  be  perilously  placed  because  of  his 
inexperience.  In  fact,  it  struck  him  more 
than  once  that  Nick  had  much  the  better  of  it 
as  compared  with  him. 

The  one  fortunate  thing  was  that  the  after- 
noon was  near  to  its  close,  and  the  night  must 
lessen  the  danger,  so  far  as  the  Apaches  were 
concerned. 


WATCHING   AND   WAITING.  245 

The  latter  were  acting  out  their  ferocious 
nature.  When  they  knew  the  adobe  buikling 
was  empty,  it  possessed  no  attraction  to  them. 
They  passed  it  by  without  so  much  as  liring 
a  shot  at  its  gray  walls,  but,  when  they  saw 
three  horsemen  ride  through  the  broad 
entrance,  they  halted,  and  began  laying  their 
plans  for  destroying  them.  That's  Apache 
nature,  but  perliaps,  after  all,  it  is  not  so 
different   to   the  nature  of  the   white  man. 

It  was  decided  by  the  Texans  that  Eph 
Bozeman  should  ride  forward  to  meet  Bell 
-Rickard.  His  relations  Avith  the  horse  thieves 
insured  against  the  distrust  they  were  likely 
to  feel  in  the  case  of  either  of  the  others. 
He  would  doubtless  be  admitted  without  mis- 
giving, and  once  within  the  building,  he  could 
complete  arrangements  for  the  ransom  of  Nick 
Ribsam. 

It  was  Eph's  choice  to  go  on  foot,  though 
in  the  event  of  detection  by  the  Apaches  his 
case  was  likely  to  be  hopeless,  whereas,  if  he 
were  mounted  on  his  fleet  plug,  he  might  dash 
off  and  escape. 

That  which  decided  the  old  trapper  was  the 


246  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

greater  liability  of  being  discovered  if  lie  rode 
a  horse.  The  Apaches  were  certain  to  manoeu- 
vre about  the  building  in  the  darkness,  search- 
ing for  a  way  of  making  a  stealthy  inroad  on 
the  defenders,  and  it  was  too  much  to  expect 
them  to  fail  to  see  a  horseman  seeking  en- 
trance through  the  regular  avenue.  Instead  of 
walking  erect,  he  would  creep  on  his  hands 
and  knees,  from  the  moment  he  reached  the 
rim  of  the  danger  circle  until  he  knocked  at 
the  door.  By  this  course,  though  it  involved 
much  delay,  he  could  use  his  marvellous  ex- 
pertness,  trained  to  the  highest  point  by 
a  half  century  among  the  wilds  of  the  Great 
West. 

Old  Eph  had  done  the  same  thing  before. 
He  and  Kit  Carson  once  crept  a  full  mile,  over 
the  cactus  plains  in  Southern  California,  to 
elude  a  band  of  Navajoes  that  had  followed 
them  for  several  days  and  nights,  and  the 
injuries  received  during  that  ordeal  were  felt 
for  months  afterward. 

He  was  glad  of  the  chance  to  repeat  the 
difficult  feat,  for  he  had  lived  an  adventurous 
life  too  long  to  lose  his  liking  for  it,  now  that 


WATCHING   AND   WAITING.  247 

he  was  growing  old.  Besides,  such  persons 
are  unwilling  to  admit  any  failure  of  their 
powers  until  the  proof  is  forced  upon  them  so 
impressively  that  it  is  impossible  to  deceive 
themselves. 


CHAPTER  XXVIIl 

THE   SOUND    OF  A    PISTOL. 

JUST  as  night  was  closing  in,  an  occurrence 
took  place  which  caused  our  friends  more 
alarm  than  anything  during  the  day. 

Their  position  was  almost  due  east  of  the 
adobe  building,  which  it  will  be  remembered 
was  about  a  mile  distant.  The  Apaches,  who 
had  been  circling  about  on  their  i)onies  in  an 
aimless  way,  drew  nearer  the  building,  until  in 
the  gathering  gloom  they  were  seen  to  be  only 
a  few  hundred  yards'  distant. 

Suddenly  one  of  their  number  dashed  off 
with  his  horse  on  a  dead  run  to  the  east.  He 
did  not  take  a  course  toward  the  whites,  but 
aimed  for  the  elevation  which  extended  in  a 
southerly  direction.  It  looked  as  if  he  meant 
to  learn  whether  any  friends  of  the  little  garri- 
son were  in  the  neighborhood. 

"If  he  goes  over  the  ridge,"  said  Strubell  in 

248 


THE   SOUND   OF   A   PISTOL.  249 

a  low  tone,  as  all  eyes  were  fixed  on  liim,  "  he 
must  see  us." 

He  did  not  pass  over,  but  halted  at  the  top 
and  sat  motionless  on  the  bare  back  of  his 
pony,  evidently  engaged  in  scanning  every 
portion  of  the  visible  prairie.  At  this  moment 
old  Eph  glanced  at  the  animals,  a  short  way 
behind  them,  and  saw  that  his  horse  was  in  the 
act  of  rising.  His  forequarters  were  up,  and 
his  head  raised,  after  the  manner  of  his  kind, 
when  his  master  spoke  sharply  and  he  immedi- 
ately sank  back  again. 

The  action  of  the  steed  was  as  singular  as  it 
was  unfortunate,  and  for  a  minute  everyone 
was  sure  the  discovery  had  been  made.  But 
the  action  of  the  Apache  to  the  south  left  the 
matter  in  doubt.  He  wheeled  about  and  rode 
back  to  his  comrades  at  an  easier  pace,  but 
they  did  not  gather  around  him,  as  they  would 
have  been  quite  sure  to  do  if  he  had  borne  im- 
portant news  to  them. 

The  result  was  that  neither  Bozeman  nor  the 
Texans  knew  whether  the  Apache  had  seen 
them  or  not — a  state  of  doubt  as  trying  as 
actual  discovery. 


250  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

The  belief  was  that  the  action  of  the  horse 
had  not  betrayed  them,  for,  until  the  red  men 
faded  from  view  in  the  deepening  gloom, 
nothing  to  show  the  contrary  was  observable. 

The  night  promised  to  be  favorable  for  the 
dangerous  enterprise.  It  would  be  quite  dark, 
the  moon  not  appearing  until  late,  there  was 
no  wind,  and,  in  the  stillness,  the  slightest 
sound  could  be  heard  for  a  long  distance.  If 
the  Apaches  knew  nothing  of  the  party  behind 
the  elevation,  they  would  be  likely  to  remain 
on  their  horses,  whose  tread  could  be  detected 
long  before  they  were  visible,  while  the 
advance  of  old  Eph  was  to  be  in  such  utter 
silence  that  even  the  wonderfully  fine  hearing 
of  an  Apache  would  avail  him  naught. 

"  I'm  goin'  to  start  soon,"  said  the  trapper, 
"and  I  want  to  know  what's  to  be  said  to 
Bell,  if  I  get  the  chance  to  talk  with  him." 

"In  the  first  place,"  said  Strubell,  by  way 
of  reply,  ' '  Herbert  is  to  fix  the  price  of  the 
ransom  he's  willing  to  pay." 

"What  do  you  think  I  ought  to  give?" 
asked  the  youth,  who  had  thought  a  good  deal 
over  the  question. 


THE   SOUND   OF   A   PISTOL.  251 

"I  don't  know — bat  it  seems  to  me  that  a 
tlioiisand  dollars  sliould  be  the  outside  figure. 
What  do  you  think,  Baker?  " 

"Five  hundred  is  my  idea,  but  I  wouldn't 
think  of  goin'  above  what  you  say." 

''Why,"  said  the  surprised  Herbert,  "I 
had  fixed  five  thousand  as  the  limit,  not  know- 
ing but  that  I  might  exceed  that." 

"Don't  think  of  it." 

"  Five  thousand  dollars,"  repeated  old  Eph, 
with  a  low  whistle,  for  the  sum  to  him  was  a 
prodigious  fortune. 

"  Well,  Eph  can  figure  as  best  he  can,  but 
I  will  agree  that  that  sum  shall  be  paid,  if 
Kickard  will  take  nothing  less." 

"How  are  you  goin'  to  pay  it?  What  are 
the  tarms?"  asked  the  trapper,  who  knew 
nothing  about  the  forms  of  "exchange,"  as  it 
was  proper  to  term  the  business  in  view. 

"  You  can  say  to  him  that,  if  he  will  send 
Nick  and  his  horse  back  to  us  unharmed, 
I  will  give  him  a  draft  on  Mr.  Lord  in  San 
Antonio  for  whatever  sum  you  agree  upon. 
He  will  understand  that.  I  have  the  blanks 
with  me,  and  can  fill  them  in  with  pencil, 


252  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

which  is  as  legal  as  ink.  Then  all  he  has  to  do 
is  to  hand  the  paper  to  Mr.  Lord,  who  will 
give  him  the  money  without  question.  I  will 
let  him  have  another  piece  of  writing  which 
will  insure  that." 

It  was  all  a  mystery  to  the  old  trapper,  who 
had  never  seen  anything  of  the  kind,  and 
perhaps  there  would  be  more  difficulty  in  the 
way  than  the  hopeful  Herbert  believed,  but  it 
was  the  best  that  offered,  and  since  Rickard 
must,  of  necessity,  be  compelled  to  trust  the 
others  to  a  certain  extent,  he  was  not  likely  to 
propose  other  terms. 

The  matter  was  made  clear,  so  far  as  could 
be  done,  to  Eph,  Avho,  to  insure  he  was  right, 
repeated  his  instructions  until  they  were  pro- 
nounced correct  by  the  others.  Strubell,  hav- 
ing some  education  himself,  helped  to  force 
the  bit  of  knowledge  into  his  brain. 

"S'pose  he  says  he  won't  do  it  for  five 
thousand,  but  wants  six,  or  seven,  or  more — 
what  then?"  asked  Eph. 

"  Make  the  best  bargain  you  can  ;  I  am  will- 
ing you  should  go  up  to  six,  seven— yes,  ten 
thousand,"  added  Herbert,  who  felt  in  that 


THE  SOUND   OF  A  PISTOL.  253 

moment  that  there  was  nothing  too  much  for 
him  to  do  for  the  best  friend  he  had  in  the 
world. 

'•Are  you  crazy?"  asked  the  amazed 
Strubell.    "  What  are  you  talking  about  ? " 

"I'm  in  earnest,"  was  the  resolute  reply  of 
the  youth,  who  shuddered  at  the  thought  that 
a  little  haggling  at  the  crisis  might  bring  about 
the  death  of  Nick  Ribsam. 

"Well,"  said  the  Texan,  "since  you  talk 
that  way,  you  can  set  it  down  as  certain 
that  Bell  Rickard  wuU  turn  Nick  over  in  a 
hurry." 

"Yas,"  added  old  Epli,  "and  go  into  the 
bus'ness  of  stealin'  yonnkers  instead  of  bosses, 
for  it  will  pay  him  much  bigger." 

"But  there's  one  thing  you  can  work  in," 
remarked  Lattin,  "that  is,  that  he  won't  have 
an}^  trouble  in  gettin'  any  sum  up  to  five 
thousand,  but  when  you  go  above  that,  there's 
sure  to  be  difficulty  and  he  may  lose  the  whole 
thing." 

All  agreed  that  this  was  a  clever  idea  which 
would  have  weight  with  the  horse  thief.  The 
trapper  promised  to  make  the  best  use  of  it. 


254  ACROSS  TEXAS, 

There  seemed  to  be  nothing  more  to  settle, 
and  Eph  was  ready  to  start, 

"I'm  goin'  straight  for  the  front  of  the 
buildin',"  he  said,  "for  the  chance  is  as  good 
on  one  side  as  t'other,  but  it  will  take  me 
a  good  while  to  git  thar." 

"Suppose  you  run  into  trouble,"  suggested 
Strubell,  "you  must  make  a  break  for  us  and 
we'll  do  what  we  can  for  you," 

"I  won't  do  nothin'  of  the  kind,"  was  the 
reply  of  the  trapper,  "for  that  would  be  the 
last  of  you  ;  I've  got  to  go  under  some  time, 
and  what  difference  whether  it's  sooner  or 
later?  If  the  varmints  Jump  onto  me,  I'll 
make  the  best  fight  I  kin,  but  I  don't  want 
any  of  you  foolin'  round  ;  all  you  need  to  do 
is  to  look  out  for  yourselves  and  leave  me 
alone," 

It  was  useless  to  argue  with  old  Eph,  and  no 
one  tried  to  do  so.  After  all,  he  was  more 
likely  to  be  right  than  wrong,  though  it 
seemed  cruel  to  remain  idle  when  he  was  in 
extremity, 

"  Wal,  I'm  off,"  he  said,  rising  to  his  feet  and 
striding  down  the  slope  toward  the  building. 


THE   SOUND   OF   A   PISTOL.  255 

As  lie  did  so  he  formed  a  striking  figure. 
He  loomed  up  large  and  massive  in  the  gloom, 
with  his  long  rifle  grasped  in  his  left  hand, 
and  his  right  resting  on  the  revolver  which  he 
carried  in  the  girdle  about  his  waist.  He  took 
long  steps,  for  he  was  so  far  from  his  destina- 
tion that  it  was  too  soon  to  creep,  but  as  his 
moccasins  pressed  the  grass,  not  one  of  those 
watching  him  heard  any  sound.  The  progress 
of  a  shadow  across  the  wall  could  not  have 
been  more  silent. 

The  huge  form  quickly  melted  into  the 
gloom,  and  all  was  still.  Not  once  had  the 
Apaches  given  utterance  to  their  whoops,  and 
they  were  so  distant  that  the  sounds  of  their 
horses'  hoofs  could  not  reach  the  watchers,  a 
fact  which  the  latter  took  as  proof  that  the 
warriors  had  not  discovered  their  presence  on 
the  elevation. 

The  minutes  that  followed  were  trying. 
The  Texans  knew  that  a  long  time  must  elapse 
before  the  trapper  would  reappear,  even  if 
the  circumstances  were  favorable  ;  in  fact  half 
the  night  was  likely  to  pass  ere  he  would  show 
up  again. 


S56  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

As  nearly  as  they  could  judge,  an  hour  had 
gone,  during  which  the  same  profound  quiet 
held  reign,  when  all  were  startled  by  the  sharp 
crack  of  a  pistol  from  the  direction  taken  by 
the  trapper. 

"What  I  feared!"  whispered  Lattin ; 
*'he's  in  trouble  I" 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

TIIROUGU   THE   NIGHT. 

WHILE  Herbert  Watrous  lay  on  tlie 
ground,  at  the  top  of  the  elevation, 
with  the  Texans  waiting  for  the  return  of  the 
old  trapper,  he  asked  Strubell  to  explain  their 
action  on  the  night  of  the  first  norther,  when 
they  sent  him  and  Nick  through  the  hills  to 
the  other  side. 

"  Well,"  replied  the  cowboy,  "our  first  pur- 
pose was  to  have  you  out  of  the  way  when  the 
scrimmage  took  place,  for  we  knew  it  was  com- 
ing sure." 

"But  you  said  you  had  no  trouble  with 
Rickard  and  his  gang." 

"And  we  didn't;  off  in  another  direction 
was  a  party  of  Comanches  that  must  have 
taken  us  for  their  own  warriors,  for  they  began 
signalling  in  a  way  that  made  it  look  so.  We 
answered  their  signals,  but  they  found  out  the 
trick  before  we  could  trap  them.     However, 

17  267 


258  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

they  were  out  for  game,  and  they  came  at  ns 
in  the  evening.  It  isn't  worth  while  to  give 
the  particulars,"  added  the  Texan  signifi- 
cantly, "but  when  the  fun  opened  it  wasn't 
long  before  the  red  gentlemen  found  out  their 
mistake.  They  rode  off— that  is,  some  of  them 
did — and  that  was  all." 

"But  what  of  Rickard  and  his  men ? " 

"While  we  were  having  the  row  with  the 
Comanches  they  i^layed  a  clever  trick  on  us. 
They  got  round  through  the  ridge,  without  our 
suspecting  it  till  next  morning,  and  walked  off 
with  Nick." 

"  They  might  as  well  have  captured  both  of 
us,"  said  Herbert,  "  and  I  have  often  wondered 
that  they  did  not." 

"They  took  the  highest  priced  one,"  ob- 
served Strubell,  with  a  chuckle,  "but  I  guess 
there  was  another  reason.  Bell  had  a  spite 
against  Nick,  and  meant  to  put  him  out  of  the 
way  if  he  couldn't  fix  the  ransom  business. 
While  the  main  thing  was  money  with  him,  it 
wasn't  that  alone." 

This  point  in  the  story  was  reached  when 
the  three  heard  the  report  of  old  Eph's  pistol, 


THROUGH   THE   NIGHT.  259 

which  rang  out  on  the  night  with  startling 
distinctness.  It  was  nearer  the  building  than 
the  elevation  where  the  friends  were  awaiting 
the  return  of  the  trapper. 

"By  gracious!"  exclaimed  Strubell  in  an 
excited  undertone,  "I  can't  stay  here,  know- 
ing he  needs  our  help,  for  all  he  told  us  to  do 
so.'' 

"And  I  feel  the  same  way,"  added  Lattin, 
rising  partly  to  his  feet,  "but  what  about 
leaving  Herbert  here  ? " 

It  was  this  thought  that  held  the  two  for 
a  moment,  but  the  youth  hastened  to  say  : 

"If  you  can  do  him  any  good,  go  at  once  ; 
I  am  in  no  danger." 

"I  think  not,  but  I  aint  sure.  If  anything 
disturbs  you,"  added  the  elder,  "mount  your 
horse  and  make  off  ;  your  pony  can  go  as  fast 
as  any  of  theirs." 

But  for  the  belief,  confirmed  by  the  action 
of  the  Apaches,  that  they  did  not  suspect  the 
presence  of  the  whites,  neither  Strubell  nor 
Lattin  would  have  allowed  Herbert  to  be 
alone  ;  but  they  knew  that  if  they  were  to 
help  the  trapper  not  a  second  was  to  be  lost. 


260  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

Instead  of  mounting  their  animals,  they  hur- 
ried down  the  slope  on  foot,  breaking  into 
a  run,  or  rather  loping  trot,  which  enabled 
them  to  cover  much  ground  with  little  noise, 
as  their  feet  pressed  the  greensward. 

The  distance  was  considerable,  and  when 
they  approached  the  spot  where  the  pistol  had 
been  fired,  they  slackened  their  pace,  listening 
and  peering  into  the  gloom,  which  was  so  deep 
that  they  could  see  no  more  than  fifty  feet  in 
any  direction. 

"This  must  be  near  the  place,"  whispered 
Lattin,  "but  where  is  he  ?" 

"  It's  a  good  sign  if  we  can't  find  him,  though 
I  don't  understand  why  he  used  his  pistol 
unless  he  was  in  trouble." 

As  nearly  as  they  could  judge,  they  were 
within  two  or  three  hundred  yards  of  the 
building.  It  was  so  easy  to  err  as  to  the  point 
whence  the  report  had  come  that  they  paused, 
undecided  what  to  do. 

Darkness  was  on  every  hand.  Not  the  first 
outlines  of  the  structure  could  be  distin- 
guished, nor  was  there  a  glimpse  of  any  man 
or  animal.     The  stars  were  shining  brightly  in 


THROUGH  THE   NIGHT.  261 

the  clear  sky,  and  tlieir  liglit  was  all  that 
guided  their  progress. 

''  We'll  go  a  little  further,"  said  Strubell  in 
the  same  guarded  undertone,  "but  we  must  be 
on  the  watch,  for  we're  in  a  bad  place  our- 
selves." 

">S'^.'"  At  that  moment,  they  caught  the 
sound  of  a  horse's  hoofs,  their  experience  tell- 
ing them  the  animal  was  on  a  gallop.  The 
noise  was  faint — quickly  dying  out,  thus  show- 
ing  that  the  pony  was  receding  instead  of  ap- 
proaching. Nothing,  therefore,  was  to  be 
feared  from  the  rider  of  that  particular  ani- 
mal. 

To  guard  against  passing  their  friend,  the 
Texans  now  separated  a  few  paces,  taking  care 
to  keep  within  sight  of  each  other.  They 
pushed  forward  at  a  moderate  walk,  on  the 
alert  for  the  first  evidence  of  danger. 

A  couple  of  rods  were  traversed  in  this  man- 
ner when  Lattin,  who  was  on  the  left,  emitted  a 
faint  hissing  sound.  At  the  same  instant  he 
sank  to  the  ground,  and  Strubell  was  hardly  a 
second  behind  him  in  doing  the  same.  He  saw 
nothing,  but  he  knew  that  his  friend  did. 


262  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

A  form  so  dim,  shadowy,  and  indistinct  that 
lie  could  trace  nothing  more  than  its  outlines 
took  shape  in  the  gloom  itself,  a  short  distance 
in  front  of  Lattin,  who  was  so  quick  to  utter 
the  warning  to  his  companion.  It  was  not  a 
horseman,  but  a  man  on  foot. 

The  suspicion  that  it  might  be  the  trapper 
caused  the  Texan  to  give  another  faint  call — 
so  faint  indeed  that  the  alert  ear  of  an  Apache 
would  not  have  noticed  it.  Old  Eph  would  be 
sure,  however,  to  read  its  meaning. 

But  the  reply  was  not  satisfactory.  Instead 
of  answering  it  with  a  similar  signal,  the 
silence  was  not  broken,  and,  while  the  Texan 
was  peering  into  the  darkness,  he  became 
aware  that  he  was  staring  at  vacancy.  The 
form  had  melted  into  the  gloom — proof  that 
it  was  moving  in  another  direction. 

"  It  must  have  been  one  of  the  varmints," 
whispered  Lattin,  as  he  stepped  noiselessly  to 
the  side  of  his  friend,  "but  I  didn't  s'pose 
they  was  walkin'  round  instead  of  ridin'  their 
animals." 

"They  must  suspect  something;  I  guess 
Eph  got  through,  after  all." 


THROUGH  THE  NIGHT.  263 

**  We'll  go  a  little  further,"  said  Lattin, 
turning  to  the  left  again;  "maybe  he's  hurt 
so  bad  he  can't  help  himself." 

The  stillness  continued,  until  once  more 
they  came  together  with  the  decision  to  return 
to  the  elevation  where  they  had  left  Herbert. 
The  fact  that  the  Apaches  were  moving  about 
on  foot  caused  uneasiness  concerning  him,  and 
they  thouglit  it  best  to  return  at  once. 

"  Do  you  see  it  1 "  asked  Strubell. 

"Yes  ;  we're  further  along  than  I  thought." 

It  was  the  old  mission  building  to  which 
they  alluded.  It  loomed  to  view  in  the  dark- 
ness, its  outlines  dimly  traceable  against  the 
starlit  sky  beyond.  Not  the  first  glimmer  of 
a  light  showed,  nor  could  the  strained  ear  catch 
the  semblance  of  a  sound.  But  for  that 
glimpse  of  the  man  on  foot  they  would  have 
believed  the  Apaches  had  departed  with  the 
coming  of  night. 

It  was  idle  to  stay  longer,  and  they  turned 
about,  moving  off  with  the  same  care  displayed 
from  the  first,  for  they  were  more  anxious 
than  either  would  confess  to  rejoin  the  youth, 
further  away  than  they  wished  was  the  case. 


264  ACEOSS   TEXAS. 

The  result  of  their  venture  did  much  to 
relieve  them  of  fear  concerning  Eph  Bozeman, 
tliough  it  was  not  altogether  satisfactory.  He 
might  have  collided  with  several  Apaches  on 
foot,  and  been  despatched.  It  was  impossible 
in  the  darkness  to  strike  the  exact  spot  where 
the  meeting  occurred,  and,  for  aught  they 
knew,  the  body  of  the  old  trapper  was  lying  at 
that  moment,  cold  and  lifeless,  with  the  face 
upturned  to  the  stars. 

As  the  distance  from  the  building  increased, 
the  Texans  hastened  their  footsteps,  and  it 
was  a  striking  proof  of  their  skill  in  such 
delicate  situations  that  they  came  back  to  the 
elevation  within  a  rod  of  the  spot  where  they 
had  left  it.  Without  anything  to  guide  them, 
except  that  strange,  unexplainable  intuition  or 
instinct,  this  w^as  a  remarkable  exploit  in  its 
way. 

But  to  their  alarm,  when  they  peered  about 
them,  after  recognizing  the  place,  they  failed 
to  see  Herbert. 

"Something  must  have  alarmed  him,"  said 
Strubell;  "but  I  hope  it  was  nothing  seri- 
ous." 


THROUGH  THE  NIGHT.  265 

*' We'll  soon  know,"  said  Lattin,  avIio 
moved  hastily  back  to  where  the  horses  had 
been  placed.  He  was  away  but  a  moment 
when  he  came  back. 

"The  ponies  are  all  there  but  his;  he's 
gone." 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

A   FIGURE    IN  THE  DARKNESS. 

FOR  the  first  time  since  joining  the  Texans 
in  the  pursuit  of  Bell  Rickard  and  his 
captive,  Herbert  Watrous  found  himself 
entirely  alone.  He  was  lying  on  his  face  in 
the  grass,  at  the  toj)  of  the  elevation,  peering 
out  in  the  night,  and  watching  and  listening 
for  signs  of  friends  and  enemies. 

It  was  not  until  the  Texans  had  been  gone 
several  minutes  that  he  began  to  fancy  his 
own  situation  was  threatened  with  the  same 
peril  that  had  overtaken  Eph  Bozeman,  the 
trapper. 

"  They  were  never  certain  the  Apaches 
didn't  find  out  we  were  here,"  he  thought, 
"and  they  may  have  been  wrong  in  thinking 
that  warrior  did  not  observe  us.  If  those 
people  are  as  cunning  as  I  have  been  told,  who 
can  say  that  their  actions  were  not  meant  to 


A   FIGURE  IN   THE  DARKNESS.  267 

throw  two  such  experienced  hunters  as  Stru- 
bell  and  Lattin  off  their  guard?" 

This  was  figuring  matters  to  a  fine  point, 
and  the  result  was  that  Herbert  reasoned  him- 
self into  a  most  uncomfortable  frame  of  mind 
before  his  friends  had  been  absent  a  quarter  of 
an  hour. 

"  I  have  half  a  mind  to  go  out  and  mount 
Jill,"  he  added,  "and  move  off  somewhere 
else  ;  I  would  do  it  if  the  chances  were  not 
that  I  would  ride  into  a  worse  place  than 
this — my  gracious  !  " 

He  was  looking  in  the  direction  of  the 
mission  building,  when  something  assumed 
form  in  the  darkness  immediately  in  front. 
Like  the  figure  that  caught  the  notice  of 
Lattin  at  about  the  same  time,  the  outlines 
were  so  indistinct  that  he  could  not  identify  it 
at  first,  but,  with  amazement  and  alarm,  he 
speedily  saw  that  a  horseman  had  halted  at 
the  foot  of  the  slope,  with  the  face  of  himself 
and  steed  turned  toward  him.  They  were  as 
motionless  as  if  carved  in  stone,  and  their 
approach  had  been  accompanied  with  no 
sound  that  reached  the  ear  of  Herbert. 


268  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

There  was  something  so  uncanny  in  the 
apparition  that,  after  first  identifying  it,  the 
youth  suspected  it  was  a  mistake,  and  that 
something  affected  his  vision.  He  turned  his 
gaze  away,  and  even  looked  behind  him.  Tlie 
result  was  similar  to  that  which  is  noticeable 
when  we  gaze  at  the  Pleiades  on  a  clear  night. 
Keen  scrutiny  shows  but  six  stars,  one  mod- 
estly withdrawing  before  our  ardent  gaze,  to 
reappear  when  we  glance  carelessly  in  the 
direction  again. 

Bringing  back  his  eyes  from  their  groping, 
Herbert  saw  the  horseman  so  plainly  that  no 
room  for  doubt  remained.  He  was  there  at  the 
foot  of  the  slox^e,  apparently  staring  ui)ward 
in  the  darkness  with  the  same  intensity  that 
the  lad  was  studying  him. 

There  was  no  room  for  hoping  that  this 
stranger  was  a  friend,  for  none  of  them  had 
left  the  spot  with  his  animal.  It  followed, 
therefore,  that  he  was  an  Apache  out  for  mis- 
chief, since  that  was  the  only  errand  that  ever 
took  those  miscreants  abroad. 

"I  believe  it  is  the  same  one  that  rode  to 
the  top  of  the  elevation  just  before  night," 


A   FIGURE   IN   THE   DARKNESS.  269 

thouglit  Herbert ;  "  he  saw  enougli  to  know 
something  is  wrong,  and  is  now  seeking  to  find 
out  for  himself.  He  mustn't  interfere  with 
me,"  added  the  youth,  compressing  his  lips,  as 
he  brought  his  rifle  round  in  front. 

Had  the  Apache  made  a  charge  upon  him, 
Herbert  would  have  let  fly  without  an  in- 
stant's hesitation.  He  was  inclined  to  tire  as 
it  was  ;  but,  like  the  manly  boy  that  he  had 
become,  he  shrank  from  doing  that  which 
looked  so  much  like  a  crime.  Villainous 
as  were  the  red  men,  he  could  not  force  him- 
self to  shoot  one  down  in  so  heartless  a 
fashion. 

Besides,  there  was  the  possibility  that  the 
Indian  did  not  know  that  anyone  was  on  the 
elevation.  Indeed,  it  might  be  said  that  the 
very  appearance  as  described  was  evidence 
that  he  lacked  such  knowledge,  for  he  had 
placed  himself  in  a  peril  which  one  of  his  tribe 
would  be  sure  to  avoid.  Herbert  therefore 
decided  to  await  more  positive  evidence  of 
wrong  intent  before  making  any  movement 
against  the  fellow. 

His  heart  gave  a  quick  throb  when  he  dis- 


270  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

covered  that  the  horseman  was  advancing.  He 
heard  the  sound  of  his  pony's  hoofs,  followed 
by  a  more  distinct  outlining  of  both. 

"  I  do  believe  I  shall  have  to  drop  him," 
thought  Herbert,  "and  I  wouldn't  wait  any 
longer  if  I  wasn't  afraid  that  it  would  bring 
the  rest  to  the  spot." 

It  was  this  fear  tliat  restrained  him.  There 
were  likely  to  be  others  near  who  would  swarm 
thither  at  the  report  of  his  gun,  and  more 
than  likely  make  him  prisoner,  or  slay  him  be- 
fore he  could  leap  into  the  saddle  and  dash  off. 

Self-interest  urged  him  to  wait  until  the  last 
moment. 

He  reasoned  that  it  was  impossible  for  the 
sharp-eyed  warrior  to  see  him,  since  he  was 
still  flat  in  the  grass  ;  he  must  have  possessed 
wonderful  acumen  to  make  his  way  to  the  sjiot 
in  the  darkness. 

"It  all  depends  on  2/ow,"  was  Herbert's  de- 
cision ;  "if  you  keep  your  distance  no  one  will 
be  hurt,  but  one  step  more  and  there  will  be  a 
missing  Apache." 

The  action  of  the  latter  was  singular, 
for,  after  advancing  a  brief  space,  he  again 


A   FIGURE   IN   THE   DARKNESS.  271 

checked  his  pony  and  stood  as  motionless  as 
before. 

Nothing  was  clearer  than  that  something 
was  suspected  at  least  by  the  red  man  to  cause 
him  to  act  in  this  manner.  It  may  have  been 
that  his  pony  was  the  suspicious  one,  and  the 
rider  was  debating  with  himself  whether  to 
explore  further  or  give  it  up. 

Undoubtedly  it  was  fortunate  for  himself 
as  well  as  for  Herbert  that  he  did  not  take 
long  to  reach  a  conclusion.  At  the  moment 
the  youth  believed  a  meeting  was  certain,  his 
steed  wheeled  and  was  off  like  a  shot  in  the 
darkness— gone  before  Herbert  could  have 
taken  any  aim. 

He  drew  a  sigh  of  relief  at  being  left  alone 
once  more  and  so  unexpectedly. 

"I  believe  that  warrior  will  be  back,"  was 
his  conclusion,  "and  if  he  is  he  won't  find 
me  here." 

Recalling  the  advice  of  Strubell,  he  hurried 
to  where  the  horses  had  been  left.  They 
seemed  to  have  concluded  that  the  coming  of 
night  released  them  from  the  command  of 
their  masters  to  remain  on  the  ground,  for  the 


272  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

whole  four  were  on  tlieir  feet,  cropping  the 
grass.  Their  saddles  were  in  place,  but  their 
bits  had  been  shifted  to  allow  them  to  eat,  and 
each  one  was  improving  his  time. 

Jill  gave  a  faint  whinny  on  recognizing  his 
master,  and  seemed  pleased  to  feel  him  in  the 
saddle  again. 

"I  don't  know  which  way  to  go  now  that 
Tm  ready,"  thought  Herbert,  "but  it  won't 
do  to  ride  far,  or  Strubell  and  Lattin  will  have 
another  young  man's  ransom  to  arrange  for." 

Manifestly  the  counsel  of  his  friends  was 
meant  that  he  should  hold  himself  ready  to 
flee  the  instant  it  became  necessary,  but  until 
then,  the  chances  were  even  that  he  would  not 
decrease  his  peril  by  a  change  of  quarters. 

A  creditable  motive  led  Herbert  to  adopt 
what  might  be  called  a  compromise,  and  which 
was  not  lacking  in  a  certain  acuteness. 

If  he  remained  until  detected  by  the 
Apaches,  and  should  then  dash  off,  they  were 
sure  to  discover  the  other  horses,  and  would 
shoot  or  stampede  them,  leaving  the  three  men 
in  a  hapless  plight ;  but  if  Herbert  were 
charged  upon  at  some  other  point,  even  if  not 


A   FIGURE   IX   THE   DARKNESS.  273 

far  removed,  the  animals  might  be  overlooked 
in  the  flurry  of  pursuit. 

He  therefore  rode  his  pony  parallel  with  the 
elevation  and  in  a  southern  direction,  until  he 
had  gone  a  hundred  yards  or  more,  when  he 
drew  up,  and  awaited  the  development  of 
events. 

lie  did  not  go  to  the  top  of  the  slight  ridge, 
but  near  enough  to  peer  over  without  showing 
anything  more  than  the  head  of  himself  and 
Jill. 

All  this  time  he  did  not  forget  the  risk  that 
would  be  run  by  getting  too  far  from  his 
friends.  If  they  were  to  be  troubled  by  trying 
to  reunite  with  him,  the  complication  was 
likely  to  affect  Nick  Ribsam  as  well.  To  pre- 
vent himself  going  astray,  he  therefore  held 
along  the  ridge.  That  could  not  fail  to  be 
a  sure  guide  to  him  w^henever  he  wished  to 
retrace  his  steps,  for  he  had  only  to  follow  its 
course  in  reverse  to  reach  the  former  place  in 
a  brief  space  of  time. 

His  position  now  was  quite  similar  to  that  of 
the  Apache  a  short  while  before,  for  he  was 
motionless  on  his  steed,  facing  the  top  of  the 

18 


274  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

ridge,  and  waiting,  watching  and  listening  for 
whatever  might  come. 

"The  whole  party  of  Apaches,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "may  be  stealing  toward  this  spot, 
thinking  to  find  us  all  within  their  reach." 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

THE    KETURN. 

HERBERT  was  quite  sure  the  Texans 
would  not  be  gone  long,  unless  they, 
too,  became  involved  in  a  fight  with  the  dusky- 
raiders  and  shared  in  the  probable  fate  of  Eph 
Bozeman.  If  such  proved  to  be  the  case,  there 
would  be  sounds  of  the  conflict,  which  would  be 
as  brief  as  it  was  desperate,  and  it  was  those 
for  which  he  listened  while  sitting  in  his 
saddle  on  the  slope. 

The  stillness  remaining  unbroken,  he  turned 
his  pony  toward  the  point  he  had  left,  and 
found,  on  reaching  it,  that  Strubell  and  Lattin 
had  arrived  a  few  minutes  before  and  were  be- 
coming anxious  over  his  absence. 

It  was  now  a  question  whether  the  three 
should  stay  where  they  were  or  go  elsewhere 
with  their  animals.  The  Apaches  were  prowl- 
ing around  the  surrounding  country  so  closely 
that  it  looked  as  if  they  had  located  the  group. 

275 


276  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

Such  was  tlie  view  of  Strubell  and  Herbert, 
but  Lattin,  on  the  other  hand,  was  so  positive 
that  their  enemies  knew  nothing  of  their  pres- 
ence that  the  others  agreed  to  stay  where  they 
were  until  something  more  certain  became 
known. 

Trouble  was  likely  to  follow  a  change  of 
base,  since  the  trapper  on  his  return  would  be 
puzzled  to  find  them,  though  the  Texans  would 
be  sure  to  give  him  all  the  help  they  could,  and 
that  was  considerable. 

There  was  nothing  therefore  to  do  but  to 
wait,  the  most  wearisome  occupation  of  any- 
one. The  nerves  of  all  were  strung  to  such  a 
high  point  that  there  was  little  inclination  to 
sleep.  It  was  a  long  time  since  they  had  eaten 
or  drank,  and  they  were  in  need  of  food  and 
drink,  but  no  stej)  was  to  be  taken  for  the  pro- 
curement of  either  until  the  momentous 
question  was  settled. 

Lattin  believed  that  the  Indian  horseman 
seen  by  Herbert  received  no  inkling  of  the 
truth.  His  pony  had  detected  something,  and 
his  rider,  bringing  him  to  a  halt,  sat  looking 
and  listening  for  the  explanation  that  did  not 


THE   RETURN.  277 

come.  Concluding  it  was  some  wild  animal  or 
reptile  moving  in  the  grass,  he  had  dashed  off 
to  join  his  companions. 

Inasmuch  as  both  the  Texans  were  in  accord 
by  this  time  in  the  theory  that  they  were  not 
discovered  by  the  red  men,  at  the  time  of  the 
scare  just  before  sunset,  the  youth  felt  no  fear 
in  that  regard.  It  followed  therefore  that 
the  Apaches  were  unaware  of  their  presence, 
and  were  not  likely  to  learn  of  it  except 
through  some  accident. 

No  one  could  forecast  the  result  of  the  pistol 
shot  that  had  rung  out  over  the  prairie,  and 
which  showed  that  the  trapper's  stealthy  jour- 
ney to  the  building  had  not  been  without 
incident. 

The  little  company  spoke  only  at  intervals, 
and  then  in  whispers.  Their  eyes  and  ears 
were  so  intently  engaged  that  conversation 
interfered.  The  stillness  was  so  profound  that 
the  champing  of  the  horses  was  heard  as  they 
cropped  the  grass,  while  the  sound  of  the 
hoofs  was  so  distinct  when  they  shifted  about, 
that  it  seemed  to  Herbert  they  must  draw  the 
Apaches  to  the  spot. 


278  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

By  and  by  one  of  the  ponies  stopped  eating 
and  lay  down,  then  two  others  did  the  same, 
but  the  fourth  kept  it  up  so  long  that  Lattin 
was  about  to  go  out  and  compel  him  to  retire 
to  his  couch,  when  he  did  so.  This  left  the 
quiet  so  perfect  that  it  would  have  taken 
a  wonderfully  skilful  warrior  to  steal  up 
undetected  on  foot,  and  it  was  impossible  for 
a  horseman  to  do  so. 

The  stars  twinkled  from  a  sky  that  was 
unclouded  except  in  the  western  horizon, 
where  a  bank  of  clouds  climbed  part  way  to 
the  zenith  and  shut  out  a  portion  of  the  faint 
light.  In  whatever  direction  the  watchers 
gazed  was  the  same  blank  darkness.  Though 
they  knew  that  men  were  near  and  constantly 
in  motion,  no  glimpse  of  them  was  obtained. 

"Baker,"  said  the  elder  Texan  in  his 
guarded  undertone,  "I'm  going  to  sleep  for 
half  an  hour." 

"All  right,"  replied  his  companion;  "I'll 
do  the  same  when  you  wake  ujp." 

Strubell  made  not  the  slightest  change  in 
his  position.  He  simply  turned  his  head  side- 
ways upon  his  arm,  bent  at  the  elbow,  and 


THE   RETURN.  279 

shut  his  eyes.     Almost  at  the  same  moment 
he  became  unconscious. 

The  party  had  not  removed  their  blankets 
from  the  backs  of  the  ponies,  through  fear 
that  it  might  delay  them  whenever  a  sudden 
movement  should  become  necessary.  They 
were  stretched  at  full  length  on  the  grass.  In 
that  salubrious  country,  with  its  pure,  dry  air, 
there  was  no  thought  of  ill  results  therefrom. 

Herbert  was  near  Lattin,  and  he  asked  : 

"  Will  he  wake  at  the  end  of  the  half 
hour?" 

"If  he  don't  I'll  wake  him,"  replied  the 
other  ;  "  but  I  never  knew  Ard  to  vary  more'n 
a  minute  or  two." 

"  What  do  you  make  of  Bozeman's  long 
absence?     Several  hours  must  have  gone  by." 

"It  seems  later  than  it  is,  but  I  expected 
him  back  before  this." 

"  How  do  you  account  for  his  delay  ?" 

"There  may  be  several  causes,"  replied 
Lattin  ;  "  in  the  first  place,  maybe  he  run  into 
a  hornets'  nest  and  was  knifed  before  he 
could  shoot  a  second  chamber  of  his  revolver. 
Them  Apaches  w^ork  quick  at  such  business, 


280  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

and  they  would  shove  Eph  under  in  the  style 
of  greased  lightning." 

"But,"  suggested  Herbert,  who  was  after 
every  grain  of  comfort,  "  it  might  be  he  found 
trouble  in  getting  inside  the  building." 

"  That's  likely,  though  Ard  and  me  went  up 
in  sight  of  it  without  runnin'  agin  any  of  the 
varmints;  but  it  couldn't  have  kept  him  all 
this  time,  for  if  he  didn't  get  inside  long  ago 
he  would  have  given  up  and  come  back  to  us." 

"  Do  you  suppose  there  has  been  any  trouble 
with  Kickard?" 

"I  don't  see  what  trouble  there  could  be; 
all  the  work  Eph  had  was  to  find  out  the  best 
the  scamp  would  do,  and  then  either  agree  or 
disagree  with  him.  The  most  likely  trouble  is 
that  Eph  found  the  varmints  so  plentiful 
when  he  started  to  come  back  that  he  hasn't 
been  able  to  get  through  and  is  waiting  for  the 
chance." 

"If  that  proves  the  case,  what  will  be  done 
in  the  morning  ?" 

"It's  hard  to  tell  till  the  morning  comes. 
Rickard  and  Slidham  may  come  out  to  help  us 
fight  our  way  in." 


THE   RETURN".  281 

The  incident  was  not  impossible,  but  what 
a  unique  state  of  affairs  it  suggested  !  It  re- 
called the  affairs  in  the  South-west,  during  the 
Mexican  War,  Avhen  a  party  of  Comanches  and 
"Greasers"  would  assail  a  handful  of  Amer- 
icans, working  as  the  most  ardent  allies  until 
the  Americans  were  disposed  of,  when  the 
Mexicans  and  Indians  would  turn  upon  each 
other  like  cat  o'  mountains. 

"Hello  !  "  said  Lattin  a  few  minutes  later, 
"there's  the  moon." 

The  upper  edge  of  the  gibbous  orb  was  creep- 
ing above  the  horizon,  and  looked  like  the 
point  of  a  fiery  spear  as  it  climbed  rapidly 
upward. 

"That's  going  to  give  us  help,"  said  Her- 
bert, watching  the  satellite,  whose  ascent  was 
strikingly  swift. 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  replied  the 
Texan;  "it  will  let  us  see  further 'cross  the 
prairie,  but  don't  forget  that  it'll  do  the  same 
for  the  varmints.  It  won't  be  so  easy  for  Eph 
to  get  back  as  it  was  to  go  forward,  always 
providin'  that  he  did  go  forward." 

Strubell  slumbered  as  quietly  as  an  infant. 


282  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

His  breatliing  could  not  be  heard,  even  in 
the  perfect  stillness  which  reigned.  Herbert 
glanced  at  him  more  than  once,  with  an  odd 
fear  that  perhaps  he  was  dead,  but  that  was 
hardly  possible. 

Knowing  the  direction  of  the  building, 
Lattin  and  Herbert  tried  to  peer  through  the 
gloom  and  see  it,  but  the  light  was  insufficient 
to  show  its  most  shadowy  outlines. 

"Baker,"  whispered  the  youth,  "  I  think  I 
see  something  out  there  toward  the  build- 
ing." 

"Whether  you  do  or  not,"  replied  the 
Texan,  "I'm  sure  /  do;  someone  is  comin' 
this  way." 

"  It  must  be  an  Apache." 

"  Keep  quiet ;  we'll  soon  see." 

As  the  hunter  spoke,  he  made  sure  his  rifle 
was  ready  to  fire  the  instant  it  should  become 
necessary.  He  was  not  troubled  by  the  tender 
conscience  of  his  companion  in  that  re- 
spect. 

The  approaching  figure  was  on  foot,  and, 
though  advancing  without  noise,  did  so  swiftly. 
It  rapidly  grew  more  distinct  in  the  gloom. 


THE   RETURN.  283 

until  the  broad-brimmed  hat,  the  massive 
frame,  with  the  long  ritle  grasped  in  one  hand, 
left  no  doubt  of  its  identity. 

It    was    old    Eph    Bozeraan    returning    at 
last. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE   ENCOUNTER. 

SUFFICIENT  has  been  told  to  show  that 
Eph  Bozeman's  stealthy  approach  to  the 
mission  building  was  attended  by  one  stirring 
incident,  if  not  more. 

Leaving  his  comrades  on  the  crest  of  the 
elevation,  he  strode  forward  at  a  rapid  pace, 
until  he  had  passed  most  of  the  intervening 
distance.  Then  he  slackened  his  gait  and 
crouched  low,  his  body  bent,  until  he  resembled 
a  person  gathering  himself  for  a  powerful  leap. 
This  was  his  favorite  posture  when  engaged 
upon  such  dangerous  business,  and  he  kept  it 
until  prudence  told  him  there  was  too  great  a 
risk  attending  it. 

His  object  was  to  defer  creeping  to  the  last 
moment,  since  his  progress  must  become 
slower,  but  he  was  too  much  of  a  veteran  to 
allow  the  question  of  convenience  to  detract 
from  his  vigilance. 

284 


THE   ENCOUNTER.  285 

At  the  point  he  had  fixed  in  his  mind  he 
sank  to  the  ground,  and  began  using  his  hands 
and  knees,  not  the  most  agreeable  form  of 
locomotion,  since,  as  will  be  remembered,  he 
carried  his  heavy  rifle  with  him. 

As  yet  he  had  seen  and  heard  nothing  of 
tlie  Apaches,  but  believed  a  brush  with  them 
was  inevitable  before  he  could  enter  the  build- 
ing. He  reasoned  that  since  they  knew  of  the 
presence  of  the  white  men  inside,  and  were 
unaware  of  the  others  outside,  they  would 
devote  themselves  to  circling  about  the  struc- 
ture, and  maintaining  a  sharp  lookout  that 
none  of  the  occupants  got  away  during  the 
night.  The  prospect  of  adding  two  or  three 
more  victims  to  the  long  list  of  massacres  they 
had  committed  in  the  South-west  was  too 
tempting  to  be  passed  by,  until  all  prospect  of 
success  was  gone. 

The  trappers  belief  was  that  the  warriors 
would  remain  mounted,  though  he  was  too 
experienced  to  guide  his  own  movements  upon 
that  theory  alone. 

So  long  as  he  kept  his  position  close  to  the 
earth,   he  could  discover  the  approach   of  a 


286  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

horseman  before  the  latter  saw  him,  to  say- 
nothing  of  the  slight  noise  of  the  pony's  hoofs, 
which  was  sure  to  betray  him. 

Twice  he  caught  the  latter  sound,  and 
ceasing  his  progress  lay  flat,  listening  and 
peering  around  in  the  gloom  ;  but  the  riders 
did  not  come  nigh  enough  for  him  to  discern 
them  ;  and  after  a  brief  wait  he  resumed  his 
slow  and  laborious  progress. 

From  what  had  taken  place,  he  was  abso- 
lutely certain  that  the  Apaches  had  no  sus- 
picion that  any  whites  were  near  the  build- 
ing. It  followed  therefore  that  no  precaution 
had  been  taken  against  his  approach,  but 
they  were  vigilant  enough  to  demand  all  the 
subtlety  he  possessed. 

He  was  creeping  forward  in  his  guarded 
manner  when,  without  the  least  warning,  he 
saw  the  outlines  of  a  figure  in  front,  which, 
although  dimly  observed,  he  knew  was  one  of 
the  Apaches. 

The  trapper  sank  down  again,  with  his  keen 
eyes  fixed  on  the  warrior,  who  was  standing 
with  his  back  toward  him,  apparently  study- 
ing the  ground  in  the  direction  of  the  building, 


THE   ENCOUNTER.  287 

which  was  too  far  off  to  be  seen,  since  Eph 
himself  could  not  catch  the  most  shadowy- 
outlines  of  it. 

Since  the  Apache  liad  not  observed  the 
white  man,  there  was  no  cause  why  he  should 
do  so,  unless  accident  should  lead  him  to  face 
about.  Without  waiting  a  moment  Eph 
began  retreating,  keeping  his  gaze  on  the  red- 
skin, who  faded  almost  from  view  in  the 
gloom. 

Then  the  trapper  turned  to  the  right  and 
resumed  his  advance  toward  the  building. 
Time  was  too  valuable  to  wait  for  the  Indian 
to  shift  his  position,  which,  as  likely  as  not, 
would  prove  unfavorable. 

The  flank  movement  was  so  regulated  that 
he  kept  his  enemy  dimly  in  sight,  for  he  did 
not  mean  to  be  surprised  by  any  sudden  action 
on  his  part. 

All  this  was  well  enough,  but  the  Apache 
overthrew  the  whole  scheme  by  an  unexpected 
movement. 

The  trapper  was  on  his  right,  and  a  couple 
of  rods  distant,  when  the  warrior  seemed  to 
conclude  that  it  was  time  for  him  to  do  some- 


288  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

tiling.  He  stepped  off  at  his  usual  pace, 
which  would  have  carried  him  sjjeedily  beyond 
sight  had  Eph  been  somewhere  else,  but  un- 
fortunately he  moved  straight  toward  the  old 
hunter. 

To  retreat  or  advance  would  have  been  cer- 
tain betrayal,  and  Eph  did  not  attempt  it. 
Instead,  he  silently  drew  his  pistol  and  grasped 
it,  ready  for  firing. 

The  Apache  had  no  thought  of  anything  of 
this  kind,  but  he  had  taken  less  than  three 
paces,  when  he  discovered  the  figure  on  the 
earth  in  front  of  him.  He  uttered  no  outcry, 
but  stopped  and  placed  his  hand  at  his  waist, 
as  if  to  draw  a  weapon  therefi'om.  He,  too, 
carried  a  gun,  most  likely  a  Winchester,  and 
was  expert  in  its  use.  He  had  no  blanket,  his 
body  being  bare  above  the  waist,  and  his  long, 
coarse  hair  dangled  about  his  shoulders.  He 
was  much  shorter  and  smaller  in  every  way 
than  the  white  man,  but  every  ounce  of  his 
body  was  like  that  of  a  tiger. 

The  Indian  might  have  brought  instant  help 
by  a  signal,  but  to  do  that  would  have  been  a 
confession  that  he  was  afraid  to  attack  a  single 


THE  ENCOUNTER.  289 

individual,  and  the  warrior  "wasn't  that  sort 
of  a  fellow." 

His  pause  was  only  momentary.  He  stooped 
down  like  an  animal  about  to  leap  across  a 
chasm  and  the  trapper  caught  a  movement  of 
his  right  hand,  which  convinced  him  the  war- 
rior had  drawn  a  knife  and  meant  to  spring 
upon  him. 

Eph's  revolver  was  leveled  at  the  savage, 
who  was  still  stealing  forward  when  a  single 
chamber  was  discharged.  The  shot  was  un- 
erring, and  (what  was  singular  in  the  case  of  an 
American  Indian)  he  sank  downward  without 
any  outcry. 

The  trapper  needed  no  one  to  tell  him  what 
next  to  do.  He  knew  the  report  of  his  weapon 
would  bring  nearly  if  not  all  the  other 
Apaches  to  the  spot,  and  he  could  not  get 
away  too  soon.  Springing  to  his  feet,  he 
loped  swiftly  toward  the  building,  never 
pausing  until  he  stood  in  front  of  the  broad 
door. 

He  glanced  keenly  to  the  right  and  left 
while  making  this  run,  but  though  he  heard 
the    sounds    of    hoofs,  he    saw   none   of  the 

19 


290  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

raiders  eager  for  the  chance  to  cut  him 
down. 

Within  a  half  minute  after  the  shot  was 
fired  an  Apache  reached  the  spot  on  his 
pony,  and  was  quickly  joined  by  five  others, 
all  mounted.  The  prostrate  figure  told  the 
story,  but  the  author  of  their  comrade's  death 
was  gone. 

While  one  of  them  lifted  the  inanimate 
figure  upon  his  steed,  the  others  separated  to 
find  the  white  man  who  had  slain  him.  They 
did  this  with  rare  skill,  but  they  were  misled 
from  the  start.  Knowing  nothing  of  those 
outside  the  building,  their  supposition  must 
have  been  that  one  of  them  had  stolen  out  of 
the  structure  and  gained  this  point  before  dis- 
covery. It  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  he 
was  striving  to  enter  instead  of  leave  the 
place,  and  they  therefore  widened  the  circle, 
when  they  should  have  contracted  it. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

IMPORTANT   NEGOTIATIONS. 

THE  shot  which  the  trapper  fired  in  self-de- 
fence, therefore,  was  of  the  utmost  help 
in  his  approach  to  the  old  mission  building, 
for  it  broke  the  line  of  circumvallation,  which 
otherwise  would  have  been  impassable  to  any- 
one seeking  to  enter  or  leave  the  structure. 

To  this  also  was  due  the  escape  of  Striibell 
and  Lattin  when  they  hastened  to  the  spot. 
It  may  be  said  that  the  entire  plan  of  the 
Apaches  was  disarranged.  In  trying  to  cover 
so  extensive  a  circle,  they  left  of  necessity 
vast  gai)s,  through  which  the  Texans  passed 
without  detection.  It  must  have  been  one  of 
the  Apaches  engaged  in  this  curious  hunt  that 
approached  Herbert  Watrous,  as  he  lay  on  the 
summit  of  the  elevation  awaiting  the  return  of 
his  friends. 

The  trapper  did  the  best  thing  possible,  for 
he  had  taken  but  a  few  steps   when  the  out- 

291 


292  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

lines  of  tlie  old  mission  liouse  assumed  form  in 
tlie  gloom,  and  he  did  not  halt  until  he  was  at 
the  door. 

Despite  the  stirring  incident  through  which 
he  had  just  passed,  none  of  them  tried  his 
nerve  as  did  this  last  phase  of  his  experience. 
He  could  not  know  how  long  he  would  be  kept 
waiting ;  the  Apaches  were  sure  to  appear 
shortly.  If  forced  to  stay  for  a  brief  period 
where  he  was,  he  must  be  discovered,  and  the 
position  of  a  single  man  at  bay  in  front  of 
a  building,  without  the  liberty  to  enter,  and 
obliged  to  meet  the  attack  of  a  dozen  enemies, 
need  not  be  dwelt  upon. 

Eph  gave  the  heavy  door  several  violent 
kicks  the  moment  it  was  within  reach,  and 
the  sound  could  not  only  have  been  heard 
throughout  the  interior,  but  a  long  way  be- 
yond. The  Apaches  were  sure  to  make  a 
speedy  investigation. 

Fortunately  for  the  trapper  he  was  not  kept 
long  in  suspense.  Bell  Rickard  could  not  fail 
to  hear  the  energetic  summons,  and  quickly 
called  from  one  of  the  upper  windows,  taking 
care  not  to  expose  himself  : 


IMPORTANT   NEGOTIATIONS.  293 

"Who's  there?" 

"Me,  Eph  Bozeman." 

"  Where  the  mischief  did  you  come  from?  " 
asked  the  criminal,  now  venturing  to  thrust 
his  head  from  the  window. 

"Never  mind  whar  I  come  from,"  replied 
the  impatient  applicant ;  "come  down  an'  let 
me  in  powerful  quick  or  you  won't  git  the 
chance  to  let  me  in  at  all." 

"All  right!     Til  be  there." 

It  seemed  a  long  while  before  Rickard 
descended  to  the  door,  during  every  second  of 
which  Eph  expected  the  Apaches.  He  stood 
ready  to  let  fly  with  rifle  and  revolver  at  the 
first  sight,  but,  while  waiting,  he  heard  Rick- 
ard at  the  door,  which  was  speedily  unbarred, 
and  he  stepped  inside  more  quickly  than 
he  had  ever  done  anything  of  the  kind 
before. 

All  was  dark,  but  Rickard  did  not  speak 
until  he  had  refastened  the  door,  which  was 
composed  of  a  species  of  carved  wood,  still 
seen  in  the  old  mission  houses  of  the  South- 
west, which  is  hardly  less  strong  and  endur- 
able than  the  adobe  walls  themselves. 


294  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

The  trapper  was  so  familiar  with  the  interior 
of  the  structure  that  he  walked  readily  along 
the  broad,  open  hallway,  into  the  court  beyond, 
where  there  was  sufficient  light  to  observe  the 
figure  of  his  companion  as  he  led  the  way  to  a 
small  apartment  opening  into  the  court,  and 
within  which  a  dim  light  was  burning. 

Into  this  the  two  passed,  on  the  first  floor, 
where  Eph  found  himself  face  to  face  with 
Bell  Rickard  and  Harman  Slidham,  whom  he 
had  met  a  short  time  before,  and  knew  to  be 
among  the  most  lawless  characters  in  the 
States  and  Territories. 

"I  was  up  in  front  of  the  building,"  said 
Rickard,  "  looking  out  for  the  Apaches  when 
I  heard  you  at  the  door." 

"Yes,"  replied  the  trapper,  "I  tried  to 
make  you  hear  me." 

The  room  which  the  three  entered  was  one 
of  a  dozen  similar  ones,  opening  upon  the 
court  in  the  centre,  the  building  forming  what 
might  be  described  as  a  hollow  square.  Many 
years  before  the  apartment  had  probably  been 
used  as  sleeping  quarters  by  the  fathers,  who 
devoted  their  lives  to  labor  among  the  Indians, 


IMPORTANT  NEGOTIATIONS.  295 

who,  it  must  be  confessed,  rarely  showed  any 
appreciation  of  their  self-sacrifice. 

It  was  twenty  feet  deep,  and  perhaps  half 
as  broad,  without  furniture,  but  with  walls 
several  feet  in  thickness.  The  only  openings 
were  the  door  and  two  narrow  windows  facing 
the  court.  These  let  in  sufficient  light  to  give 
all  the  illumination  required  during  the  day- 
time. 

In  the  rear  of  this  room  Rickard  kept  his 
supply  of  meal  and  dried  meat  for  such  con- 
tingencies as  the  one  that  now  seemed  upon 
him.  The  door,  of  the  same  material  as  the 
main  one,  could  be  secured  so  that  a  forced 
entrance  required  great  labor  and  effort,  while 
the  windows  were  too  strait  to  allow  the 
smallest  person  to  squeeze  his  body  through. 

From  an  iron  bracket  in  the  wall  burned  an 
oil  lamp  which  lit  up  the  interior,  showing  the 
sacks  of  grain  and  a  couple  of  boxes  con- 
taining dried  meat.  The  sacks  and  boxes 
furnished  seats  for  the  men  during  their 
conference. 

The  trapper  glanced  searchingly  around, 
and  was  surprised  to  see  nothing  of  Nick  Rib- 


296  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

sam,  though  he  made  no  reference  to  it ;  but 
knowing  of  the  supply  of  water,  he  asked  for 
a  draught  before  opening  proceedings. 

An  earthen  vessel  contained  a  gallon  or  so, 
which  Slidham  had  brought  only  a  short  time 
before  from  the  spring  near  by.  Eph  quaffed 
long  and  deep  before  setting  it  on  the  rough 
floor,  and  drew  the  back  of  his  hand  across  his 
mouth,  with  a  sigh  of  enjoyment. 

"You  can't  improve  much  on  that,"  here- 
marked,  resuming  his  seat  on  one  of  the  bags 
of  grain, 

"No;  it  goes  pretty  well  when  you  have 
been  without  anything  for  two  or  three  days," 
replied  Rickard,  who  suspected  the  errand 
that  had  brought  his  old  acquaintance  thither. 

"  It  isn't  as  bad  as  that,  but  we  haven't  had 
a  s waller  sence  crossing  the  Pecos  to-day." 

"  You  say  '  we ' ;  how  is  that,  Eph  ?  When 
we  parted  you  were  travelling  the  other  way, 
and  no  one  was  with  you," 

"  You're  right  on  that,  but  I  met  Ard  Stru- 
bell  and  Baker  Lattin,  who  had  a  younker  with 
'em,  and  they  war  after  you," 

"  After  me  !    What  was  that  for  ?  " 


IMPORTANT  NEGOTIATION'S.  297 

*'  Come,  Bell,  none  of  that ;  you  understand 
what  it  means  ;  you've  got  a  younker,  and  they 
want  him.'' 

"Are  they  willing  to  pay  for  him?"  asked 
the  horse  thief. 

"Wal,  if  you're  mean  'nough  to  ask  it, 
they're  ready  to  give  something,  but,  Bell,  I 
hardly  expected  this  of  you  ;  I  knowed  you 
war  dealin'  in  hoss-flesh,  but  I  didn't  know 
you  war  goin'  to  start  in  this  line  of  bus'ness." 

Eph  Bozeman  was  a  man  who  spoke  his 
mind  under  all  circumstances,  and  he  felt  not 
the  slightest  fear  of  the  couple,  who  had  fol- 
lowed a  life  of  outlawry  for  many  years. 

Slidham  lit  his  pipe  and  listened.  Rickard 
was  the  leader,  and  he  was  content  to  let  him 
do  the  talking  for  the  two.  The  evil  fellow  did 
not  beat  about  the  bush. 

"It  doesn't  make  any  difference  to  me  what 
you  expected  or  didn't  expect ;  you  wouldn't 
have  come  here  at  this  time  unless  it  was  on 
business,  and  if  you've  got  anything  to  say  to 
me  there's  no  use  in  waiting." 

"I  guess  mebbe  your  right,  Bell  ;  of  course 
Ard  and  Baker  know  what  you  run  off  with  the 


298  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

younker  for ;  you  mean  to  keep  him  till  you 
get  a  reward  for  givin'  him  up." 

"You've  hit  it  the  first  time,"  replied 
Rickard. 

"  Wal,  the  boys  talked  it  over,  and  they 
didn't  like  it  much,  but  the  younker  with 
them  says  he's  willin'  to  give  somethin', 
but  nothin'  very  big.  How  much  do  you 
want?" 
[    "  What  are  they  willing  to  pay  ? " 

"That  isn't  the  way  to  hit  it,  Bell,  name 
what  you  want,  and  if  it's  too  big  why  I'll 
go  back  and  tell  'em  so,  and  they  won't  give 
it,  that's  all,  but  wait  for  a  chance  to  even 
matters  with  you." 

"  What  would  they  say  to  five  thousand  ?  " 
asked  Rickard  in  a  hesitating  way  which 
gave  the  cue  to  the  trapj^er.  He  rose  abruptly 
from  where  he  sat  on  the  sack  of  meal. 

"  Let  me  out  the  gate." 

"  What  for  ?  "  asked  the  surprised  criminal. 

"When  you  talk  that  way,  thar's  no  need 
of  my  waitin'." 

"I  asked  you  to  name  a  sum,  but  you 
wouldn't." 


IMPORTANT   NEGOTIATIONS.  299 

*'  I  didn't  s' pose  you  war  goin'  to  ask  all  the 
money  thar  is  in  New  York,"  said  the  trajiper, 
whose  ideas  of  the  financial  resources  of  the 
great  metropolis  were  crude. 

"  Well,  make  a  proposal  and  I'll  tell  you 
what  I'll  do." 

"Baker  thought  five  hundred  was  plenty, 
but  Ard  said  if  you  stuck  out  I  might  go 
a  thousand." 

"It's  the  other  young  man  that  pays  it, 
isn't  it?" 

"Of  course." 

"What  does  hesajV 

"Not  much  of  anything,"  replied  Eph,  who 
saw  the  advantage  he  possessed  and  did  not 
mean  to  let  go  of  it. 

"  How  is  he  going  to  pay  the  money?  Has 
lie  got  it  with  him  ?  " 

"  Of  course  not ;  but  he  explained  that  he 
would  give  you  a  draft — I  b'lieve  they  call  it — 
that  is,  a  piece  of  paper  with  writin'  on  it,  which 
you  can  hand  over  to  Mr.  Lord  in  San  tone, 
and  he'll  pay  you  a  thousand  dollars — which 
shows  what  a  fool  Mr.  Lord  is,  for  how  can  a 
piece  of  paper  be  worth  anything  like  t/iat  f  " 


300  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

"You're  asking  me  to  trust  tliem  a  good 
way,"  said  Rickard,  who  had  hoped  that  the 
parties  would  be  able  to  produce  the  funds, 
"for  they  may  get  word  to  the  banker  and  he 
won't  pay  it.  Then  I'll  be  out  with  no  way  to 
help  myself." 

"As  I  figger  it,"  said  the  trapper,  wrinkling 
his  brow  with  thought,  and  anxious  to  display 
his  knowledge,  "thar  aint  no  way  of  fixin'  it 
without  takin'  a  risk  like  that.  You've 
knowed  me  and  Ard  Strubell  and  Baker  Lattin 
for  a  good  many  years,  and  you  know  that 
when  we  give  our  promise  we'll  stick  to  it. 
Aint  that  so?" 

"I  don't  dispute  it." 

"  Wal,  then,  we  three,  includin'  likewise 
the  younker  as  is  to  pay  the  money,  give  you 
our  promise  that  if  you'll  send  this  one  with 
you  back  to  them,  with  his  hoss,  gun,  an' 
everything  right,  they'll  give  you  that  paper, 
which  will  bring  you  one  thousand  dollars  the 
minute  you  hand  it  to  Mr.  Lord  in  Santone." 

"  That  seems  to  be  straight,  though  I  ought 
to  have  more." 

"  I  forgot  to  say  that  the  younker  said  if 


IMPORTANT   NEGOTIATIONS.  301 

you  should  ask  a  big  sum  he  couldn't  save 
trouble  in  your  gettin'  it,  which  means,  I  s'pose, 
that  he'll  have  to  work  it  through  New  York, 
or  somethin'  like  that,  but  thar  won't  be  any 
trouble  'bout  five  hundred  or  a  thousand 
dollars." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

A   STRAT^GE  DISCOVERY. 

BELDEN  RICKARD  understood  business 
customs  much  better  than  the  simple- 
hearted  trapper,  though  it  will  be  admitted 
that  the  latter  managed  his  part  with  clever- 
ness. He  had  expected  to  agree  upon  a 
ransom  of  five  thousand  dollars  at  the  least, 
and  it  has  been  shown  that  Herbert  Watrous 
was  willing,  under  stress,  to  advance  double 
that  sum  for  the  release  of  his  friend  ;  but  the 
amount  was  fixed  at  one  thousand,  which  is 
far  below  the  usual  rates. 

Rickard  understood  what  Eph  meant  when 
he  spoke  of  the  trouble  about  arranging  for 
the  payment  of  a  greater  amount.  Young 
Watrous  had  a  credit  to  the  extent  named 
with  Banker  Lord  of  San  Antonio,  and  to 
secure  more  he  would  have  to  consult  with 
his  parents  in  New  York. 

This  meant  delay,  which  he  was  anxious 

302 


A  STRANGE  DISCOVERY.  303 

above  everything  to  avoid,  since  it  involved 
personal  danger  to  liim.  As  it  was,  lie  dreaded 
presenting  himself  to  so  well-known  a  resident 
as  the  banker,  but  was  thinking  of  turning 
over  the  draft  to  some  trustworthy  friend 
when  Eph,  recalling  what  Herbert  had  told 
him  to  say,  added  that  the  young  man  would 
give  him  a  letter  to  Mr.  Lord  that  would  pre- 
vent the  very  trouble  he  feared. 

This  closed  negotiations.  Rickard  accepted 
the  terms  and  did  a  neat  piece  of  diplomacy 
by  saying : 

"No  matter  how  this  is  fixed  I've  got  to 
trust  you  folks,  so  I  will  do  it  clear  through  ; 
ril  send  the  boy  back  with  you,  and  you  can 
tell  your  friends  to  arrange  it  with  the  banker 
so  that  I'll  get  the  money  whenever  I  call 
or  send  someone,  and  no  questions  will  be 
asked." 

"I'll  guarantee  that  that'll  be  done,"  was 
the  emphatic  pledge  of  the  trapper,  who  not 
only  meant  every  word,  but  knew  there  would 
be  no  withdrawal  or  deception  on  the  part  of 
his  friends. 

"But,"     added    Rickard,    who,    strangely 


304  ACEOSS  TEXAS. 

enough,  "had  overlooked  one  momentous  fact, 
"  what  about  the  Apaches  ?  Old  Kimmaho 
and  his  gang  are  out  there,  and  there's  no  say- 
ing when  they'll  go." 

This  was  the  most  serious  phase  of  the  busi- 
ness. Old  Eph  had  been  speculating  over  it 
from  the  moment  he  left  his  companions  on 
the  elevation. 

Now  that  the  terms  were  agreed  upon  with 
the  captors  of  Nick  Ribsam,  and  they  were 
ready  to  turn  him  over  to  his  friends,  how  was 
he  to  be  escorted  back  to  them  ? 

"  Didn't  you  have  trouble  in  getting  here  ? " 
asked  the  criminal  of  the  trapper. 

''  I  had  a  little  brush,  and  dropped  one  of 
the  varmints." 

"That,  then,  was  your  pistol  that  I  heard  ? " 

"I  shouldn't  wonder,  bein'  as  I  fired  off 
a  pistol  while  try  in'  to  make  a  call  on  you." 

"  If  you  had  such  trouble  in  slipping  by  the 
Apaches,  you  are  sure  to  have  a  good  deal 
more  when  the  boy  is  with  you.  You  know 
old  Kimmaho,  Eph?" 

"I  rather  think  so;  he's  as  bad  as 
Geronimo." 


A   STRANGE   DISCOVERY.  305 

"  Then  when  he  has  learned  of  what  took 
place,  he  and  his  warriors  will  be  more  watch- 
ful than  before." 

"Thar  can  be  no  doubt  of  that,"  replied  the 
trapper,  with  an  impressive  nod  of  his  head  ; 
"I  wouldn't  be  afeard  to  try  it  alone  if  tliar 
war  twice  as  many,  but  I  won't  be  able  to 
manage  it  with  the  j'ounker." 

"What  shall  be  done?" 

"You  may  shoot  me  if  I  know  ;  I've  been 
figgerin'  over  the  bus'ness  for  the  last  hour 
and  can't  make  nothin'  of  it." 

But  Rickard  had  a  proposition  to  make.  It 
was  a  singular  one,  but  he  was  in  earnest  and 
would  have  kept  his  part  as  faithfully  as  he 
knew  the  other  parties  would  keep  their 
pledge. 

"  You  can  get  back  to  Strubell  and  Lattin  if 
you  try  it  alone  ;  do  that,  and  then  all  of  you 
come  in  here  with  me.  I  will  be  on  the  look- 
out so  that  you  can  dash  right  through  the 
door  as  soon  as  you  reach  it." 

The  curious  feature  about  this  proposition  is 
that  while  it  was  the  most  feasible  that  could 
be  thought  of,  it  displayed  a  certain  chivalry 

20 


306  ACEOSS  TEXAS. 

on  the  part  of  the  horse  thieves,  which  would 
have  struck  anyone  as  inconsistent  with  the 
character  of  the  one  making  it. 

"It's  the  idea,"  said  old  E^Dh,  after  think- 
ing it  over  for  a  few  seconds  ;  "now,  if  you'll 
fetch  the  younker  so  that  I  can  have  a  few 
words  with  him,  I'll  be  ready  to  start  back  ; 
I'd  like  to  be  able  to  tell  his  friends  that  I  seen 
him  again  and  spoke  to  him." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Rickard,  turning  to  Slid- 
ham  and  saying  something  in  so  low  a  tone 
that  the  sharp-eared  trapx)er  could  not  catch 
the  words.  The  fellow,  who  had  simply  held 
his  peace,  smoked  and  listened,  nodded  his 
head,  rose,  and  passed  through  the  open  door 
into  the  courtyard.  Eph  heard  his  footsteps 
on  the  adobe  pavement,  which  had  been  trod 
and  seasoned  during  the  past  century  into  a 
hardness  like  that  of  the  walls  themselves. 

When  the  sounds  died  out  the  trapper  threw 
a  ponderous  leg  over  the  other,  puffed  at  his 
pipe,  and,  looking  across  in  the  face  of  one  of 
the  most  famous  horse  thieves  in  Western 
Texas,  asked  in  his  off-hand  fashion  : 

"  How's  business,  Bell  ? " 


A   STRANGE   DISCOVERY.  307 

"  Mighty  bad,"  was  the  reply,  accompanied 
by  a  shake  of  the  head. 

"How's  that?" 

"There  are  too  many  at  it,  and  the  officers 
are  after  us  too  sharp.  You  remember  Zip 
Cooley?" 

"I've  knowed  Zip  for  twenty  years,  bnt 
have  lost  track  of  him  for  the  past  two  or  three 
seasons.     How  is  he  ?  " 

"  He's  at  rest  at  last,"  replied  Rickard,  with 
another  sigh.  "  The  vigilantes  down  in  Xacog- 
doclies  country  got  the  drop  on  him — used  him 
mighty  mean — made  him  dance  on  nothing, 
with  his  chin  among  the  limbs  of  a  tree.  Poor 
Zip  was  one  of  the  best  men  I  ever  had,  but 
he's  crossed  the  big  divide." 

"  That  was  bad  for  Zip,"  said  Eph  grimly, 
"but  I  don't  reckon  the  folks  down  in  Nacog- 
doches will  rear  a  monument  reachin'  to  the 
clouds  to  keep  his  mem'ry  green." 

"Then,"  added  Rickard,  "  Waxhurst  and 
Doffgo  wanted  to  branch  out,  so  they  crossed 
over  into  Arkansas,  made  a  good  haul,  and 
started  through  the  Indian  Nation." 

"How  did  they  make  out  ? " 


308  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

"Well,  they  'branched  out'  the  same  as 
poor  Zip  ;  you  see,  our  gang  has  been  cut 
down  pretty  low,  and  when  the  rangers 
gather  one  in,  there  isn't  enough  at  hand  to 
rally,  shoot  the  officers,  and  rescue  him." 

"  What  a  blamed  pity,"  growled  the  trapper, 
leisurely  puffing  his  pipe,  "that  thar  warn't 
enough  of  you  just  to  clean  things  out  at  ween 
El  Paso  and  Santone." 

"No  ;  I  wouldn't  want  it  as  good  as  that ; 
but  we  ought  to  have  enough  to  make  it  inter- 
esting, and  give  a  fellow  a  chance  to  make  an 
honest  living.  I  had  a  pretty  close  call  myself 
a  couple  of  months  ago." 

"How  was  that?" 

"It  was  over  in  the  Panhandle;  Slidham 
and  me  were  alone,  and  they  run  us  hot,  but 
we  tumbled  the  leader  out  of  his  saddle,  hit 
the  man  next  to  him,  and  before  they  could 
get  things  in  shape,  slipped  off  in  the  moon- 
light." 

"Isn't  Slidham  a  long  time  bringin'  that 
younker?"  asked  Eph,  looking  impatiently 
at  the  door. 

"  Yes— ah,  here  he  is  ! " 


A    STRANGE   DISCOVERT.  309 

The  man  appeared  at  that  moment,  his  face 
showing  that  he  was  agitated  over  something. 
He  gave  Rickard  an  anxious  look,  and,  with- 
out speaking,  nodded  his  liead  in  a  way  which 
signified  something  important. 

"  Eph,  you'll  excuse  me  for  a  few  minutes," 
said  the  leader,  hastily  rising  to  his  feet  and 
moving  to  the  door  ;  "I  won't  keep  you  wait- 
ing long." 

The  couple  passed  out  together  and  the 
trapper  found  himself  for  the  first  time 
entirely  alone.  He  cared  nothing  for  that, 
however,  but  continued  slowly  puffing  his 
pipe,  and  wondering  what  the  action  of  the 
others  could  mean. 

Several  times  he  heard  them  moving  about 
the  court,  and  when  he  was  on  the  point  of 
going  to  them,  with  a  demand  for  an  explana- 
tion, Rickard  returned,  hastily  stej)ped  within 
the  apartment,  and  without  sitting  down 
looked  earnestly  at  his  visitor. 

"Eph,"  said  he,  "don't  you  believe  I'm 
playing  square  with  you?" 

"  What  put  that  ar  silly  question  in  your 
head  ?    Of  course  I  do. " 


310  ACEOSS   TEXAS. 

*'  We  agreed  on  the  terms,  didn't  we? " 

"That's  just  what  we  done." 

*'Well,  thedealisoff." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  such  stujff?" 
demanded  the  trapper,  unable  to  repress  his 
astonishment.  "Aint  you  satisfied  with  the 
tarms  ?  '* 

"  Of  course,  but  I  can't  carry  out  my  part; 
I  can't  deliver  the  goods." 

"WHAT!" 

"Nick  Ribsam  isn't  in  the  building  ;  he  has 
escaped! " 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THROUGH   THE   LINES   AGAIN. 

THERE  could  be  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of 
the  startling  declaration  of  Bell  Richard. 
He  had  no  object  in  deceiving  the  trapper,  for 
his  failure  to  produce  Nick  Ribsam  deprived 
him  of  the  liberal  ransom  agreed  upon  by  the 
representative  of  Herbert  Watrous. 

He  stated  that  he  had  told  his  prisoner  of 
the  plan  he  had  in  view,  so  that  the  youth 
might  be  relieved  of  all  dread  of  violence  or 
harm,  and  could  be  content  to  abandon  what- 
ever plans  he  had  in  mind  of  escape.  He 
assured  him  that,  even  if  he  succeeded  in  get- 
ting away,  he  would  be  in  greater  danger  than 
ever,  since  the  chances  were  against  his  find- 
ing his  friends,  while  the  Apaches  were  quite 
sure  to  find  him. 

Nick  seemed  to  be  impressed  with  this  view, 
and  Rickard  and  SI  id  ham  concluded  that  he 
meant  to  wait  patiently  for  his  release  by  the 


312  ^  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

method  explained  to  him.  It  now  looked  as  if 
Nick  had  succeeded  in  outwitting  his  captors, 
after  all,  and  that  his  apparent  resignation 
was  meant  to  deceive  them  into  relaxing  their 
watchfulness. 

Although  the  two  men  and  boy  were  ob- 
served by  Kimmaho  and  his  warriors  as  they 
rode  up  to  the  adobe  structure,  they  were  able 
to  enter  and  secure  the  massive  door  before 
the  Apaches  could  interfere.  Rickard  as- 
sured Nick  that  it  was  a  fortunate  thing  for 
them,  since  they  would  have  been  badly 
caught  but  for  the  refuge,  where  they  could 
laugh  at  the  enmity  of  ten  times  that  number 
of  warriors. 

If  the  criminal  had  felt  any  misgivings  as  to 
the  intentions  of  Nick,  they  were  removed  by 
this  time ;  for,  after  having  refused  all  the 
chances  offered  him,  w^ho  would  suppose  that 
he  would  place  himself  in  the  most  imminent 
peril  possible  from  the  Apaches,  when  he  had 
no  knowledge  that  his  friends  were  within  a 
hundred  miles? 

Nevertheless  he  was  gone.  When  Rickard 
found  the  trapper  at  the  door,  he  asked  Nick 


THROUGH   THE   LINES   AGAIN.  313 

to  remain  in  another  part  of  the  building  until 
the  interview  was  over.  It  struck  him  that  it 
was  better  that  he  should  not  listen  to  the 
negotiations,  though  he  was  willing  to  bring 
him  forward  when  asked  to  do  so. 

The  criminal  indicated  no  particular  one  oi 
the  dozen  apartments  opening  on  the  court, 
yard,  several  of  which  were  intended  for  the 
use  of  horses.  The  front  of  the  building  con, 
sisted  of  two  stories,  with  four  large  rooms, 
but  the  other  portion  was  only  a  single  story 
in  height. 

When  Eph  asked  for  a  few  words  with  the 
boy,  Rickard  sent  Slidliam  out  to  bring  him 
in.  The  man  expected  to  find  him  at  once, 
but  as  he  moved  from  one  apartment  to 
another,  calling  to  him  in  a  suppressed  voice 
and  hearing  nothing  in  reply,  he  began  to  fear 
something  was  amiss.  However,  he  completed 
the  circuit,  including  the  four  large  apart- 
ments in  front  and  the  room  where  they  had 
placed  their  ponies. 

Since  he  carried  no  light,  it  was  easy  for  tho 
youth  to  keep  out  of  sight ;  but  Slidham 
could  think  of  no  reason  for  his  doing  this, 


314  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

and  he  returned  to  his  chief  with  the  word 
that  he  believed  the  prisoner  had  "vamosed 
the  ranch."  Deeming  it  incredible,  Richard 
set  out  to  make  the  search  thorough.  He  car- 
ried no  light,  but  was  fully  supplied  with 
matches,  and  he  burned  several  in  each  apart- 
ment, until  he  had  scrutinized  the  entire 
interior,  and  made  sure  the  youth  had  not 
fallen  asleep  or  was  hiding. 

It  so  happened  that  the  stables  were  the  last 
place  visited.  E-ickard  was  holding  the  tiny 
match  above  his  head,  anxiously  awaiting  the 
moment  when  its  light  should  reveal  the  whole 
interior,  when  Slidham  touched  his  arm,  and, 
pointing  at  the  ponies,  whispered  : 

"There's  only  two  of  them  ! " 

"You're  right,"  replied  the  leader;  "it's 
his  horse  too  that  is  gone." 

It  was  true :  the  faithful  Jack  that  had 
stood  by  his  master  so  long  was  not  in  sight. 
All  doubt  was  removed,  and  Rickard  hastened 
to  where  he  had  left  Eph  Bozeman  and  told 
the  astounding  news. 

The  criminal  proved  his  earnestness  by 
asking  the  trapper  to  help  him  in  repeating 


THROUGH   THE  LINES   AGAIN.  315 

the  search,  and  he  did  so,  visiting  every  room 
in  the  building,  but  without  gaining  sight  of 
the  missing  youth. 

"Great  guns!"  exclaimed  Eph,  "  how  did 
we  come  to  forgit  it  ?  " 

He  started  on  a  run  for  the  main  door.  The 
others  were  at  his  heels,  for  they  knew  what 
the  action  meant.  If  Nick  had  stolen  out  and 
galloped  off,  he  must  have  left  the  entrance 
open  for  anyone  to  enter.  The  instant  the 
Apaches  discovered  it  they  would  swarm 
through,  for,  as  has  been  shown,  the  presence 
of  the  few  white  men  within  rendered  them 
furiously  eager  to  enter  when  otherwise  they 
would  have  cared  not  at  all. 

Even  such  a  veteran  as  Eph  Bozeman  shud- 
dered on  reaching  the  heavy  doors  to  find  them 
unfastened,  so  that  a  small  child  could  have 
passed  through  from  the  outside  with  no 
trouble. 

"  If  the  varmints  had  only  knowed  that !  " 
he  said,  after  helping  to  secure  it  again. 

This  of  course  changed  all  the  conditions 
and  brought  the  men  in  front  of  a  new  and 
alarming  problem.     Since  they  were  assured 


316  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

that  Nick  Ribsam,  in  spite  of  the  danger 
from  the  Apaches,  had  ridden  out  of  the 
front  of  the  building,  and  his  present  where- 
abouts were  unknown,  be3'ond  tlie  simple 
fact  that  he  was  not  present,  Eph  Boze- 
man  felt  that  he  could  not  get  back  to  his 
friends  too  soon  with  the  news,  and  decide 
upon  an  immediate  line  of  action  to  help  the 
rash  youth. 

Rickard  renewed  his  proposal  that  the 
others  should  dash  into  the  building  and  stay- 
there  until  all  danger  passed.  The  Ai)aches 
would  be  certain  to  discover  them  in  the  morn- 
ing if  not  before,  and  the  three  hunters  and 
single  youth  could  not  maintain  themselves 
against  Kimmaho  and  his  band. 

This  offer  would  have  been  accepted  without 
hesitation,  but  for  the  desertion  it  forced  of 
Nick  Ribsam.  The  entire  course  of  his  friends 
for  days  past  was  with  the  single  view  of  help- 
ing him,  and  it  would  not  do  to  leave  him  now 
when  his  peril  had  been  increased  a  hundred- 
fold. 

But  admitting  all  this,  the  question  rose,  as 
to  what  possible  way  there  was  of  aiding  the 


THROUGH   THE   LINES   AGAIN.  317 

young  man,  who  had  done  that  which  Eph 
Bozenian  could  not  understand,  after  hearing 
so  much  of  his  briglitness. 

Indeed,  he  more  than  half  suspected  that 
he  had  already  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
Apaches.  His  own  passing  of  their  lines  was 
of  the  most  difficult  nature,  as  the  reader  has 
learned,  and  it  looked  impossible  for  it  to  be 
done  a  second  time,  and  by  one  who  knew  so 
little  of  those  subtle  red  men. 

The  fact  that  Nick  was  mounted  ought  to 
have  been  of  great  help  in  the  event  of  discov- 
ery, for  his  pony  was  as  fleet  as  the  fleetest  of 
the  Apache  steeds,  but  those  ferocious  raiders 
would  find  little  trouble  in  entrapping  the 
boldest  white  man  who  ventured  within  sight 
of  them  on  so  dark  a  night. 

Be  the  conclusion  what  it  may,  the  necessity 
of  the  trapper  returning  to  the  Texans  was 
obvious.  He  told  Rickard  that  he  would  try  it 
at  once,  and  no  decision  could  be  reached  until 
after  a  talk  with  them. 

"If  we  agree  to  make  a  break  for  these 
quarters,  it'll  be  just  as  it  is  growin'  light," 
said  he. 


318  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

"I'll  be  on  the  lookout,"  replied  Rickard, 
"  and  you  can  feel  certain  there  won't  be  any- 
trouble  in  gettin'  in." 

With  this  understanding  a  careful  survey 
was  taken  of  the  ground  immediately  in  front, 
and,  nothing  being  seen  of  the  Apaches,  the 
visitor  stepped  outside.  He  had  spent  several 
hours  within  the  building,  and  knew  his 
friends  were  wondering  at  his  long  absence, 
but  he  now  did  a  thing  for  which  there  seemed 
no  justification. 

Fairly  without  the  door,  he  moved  aside  a 
few  paces,  as  if  to  leave,  but  instead  of  doing 
so,  stood  motionless,  with  his  back  against  the 
outer  wall.  He  was  listening  for  something 
besides  Apache  warriors,  and  by  and  by  he 
heard  it ;  it  was  the  noise  made  by  Bell 
Rickard  in  refastening  the  heavy  doors. 
He  had  waited  until  he  believed  his  caller 
was  gone  too  far  to  return,  when  he  secured 
himself  and  companion  against  the  common 
enemy. 

The  moment  the  door  was  locked  Eph 
stepped  noiselessly  forward  and  stooped  down. 
It  was  too  dark  for   him  to  see  distinctly, 


THROUGH   THE   LINES   AGAIN.  319 

but  he  could  feel  as  well  as  ever,  and  lie 
passed  Lis  hands  back  and  forth  over  the 
earth,  as  if  he  had  lost  a  valuable  coin  and 
was  searching  for  it  through  the  sense  of 
touch  alone. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE  DECISION". 

THE  situation  of  the  trapper  was  perilous 
in  the  extreme,  for  it  was  to  be  supposed 
that  the  Apaches,  after  the  loss  of  one  of  their 
number,  would  maintain  unremitting  watch  of 
the  only  avenue  through  which  anyone  could 
enter  or  leave  the  building  ;  but  he  remained 
in  a  stooping  posture  for  several  minutes,  pass- 
ing his  hands  back  and  forth  over  the  ground, 
until  he  had  several  times  covered  the  space  in 
front  of  the  door. 

Finally,  with  a  muttered  exclamation,  he 
stood  erect,  and  was  ready  to  start  toward  his 
friends,  a  long  way  off  on  the  elevation  where 
he  had  left  them  hours  before. 

His  keen  ear,  trained  to  wonderful  fineness 
by  his  years  of  life  in  the  wilderness,  caught 
the  footfalls  of  a  horse,  which  he  knew  at  once 
was  ridden  by  one  of  the  Apaches.  Instead 
of  moving  off,  or  attempting  to  re-enter  the 

330 


THE  DECISION.  321 

building,  he  remained  upright,  with  his  back 
against  the  structure.  Had  there  been  a  cor- 
responding figure  on  the  other  side  of  the 
door,  a  person  observing  the  two  from  a  brief 
distance  would  have  declared  they  had  been 
carved  and  set  there  scores  of  years  before. 

The  Indian  rode  up  within  sight,  and  halted 
a  moment  while  he  gazed  at  the  front  of  the 
structure.  Nothing  was  easier  than  for  the 
trapper  to  tumble  him  from  his  pony,  but  he 
was  too  wise  to  summon  the  band  by  doing  so. 
He  gazed  at  him  in  turn,  content  to  let  him 
alone  as  long  as  he  did  not  disturb  him. 

The  Apache  must  have  felt  that  he  was  in 
danger  of  drawing  a  shot  from  one  of  the 
upper  windows,  for  he  quickly  wheeled  his 
steed  and  rode  off  in  the  darkness. 

He  was  hardly  out  of  sight  when  Eph  moved 
straight  out  from  the  building.  If  Rickard  or 
his  companion  were  on  the  watch  they  must 
have  wondered  at  the  sight,  though  it  was 
explainable  on  the  ground  that  the  trapper 
was  waiting  a  favorable  opening  to  run  the 
gauntlet. 

Instead  of  crawling,  the  veteran  broke  into 

21 


322  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

his  loping  trot,  wliicli  was  speedier  tlian  it  ap- 
peared. The  moon  had  risen,  and  though  it 
was  at  his  back  he  feared  the  result  of  the 
exposure  to  its  additional  light. 

In  no  way  can  the  success  of  Eph  be  ex- 
plained other  than  on  the  ground  that  it  was 
one  of  those  pieces  of  extremely  good  fortune 
which  sometimes  attend  rash  enterprises  on  the 
part  of  a  cool-headed  man.  He  heard  the 
sound  of  galloping  horses,  and  twice  caught 
their  shadowy  outlines,  but  he  was  on  the 
alert,  and,  dropping  to  the  earth,  waited  until 
the  peril  passed.  In  both  cases  the  red  men 
came  no  nearer,  and  he  was  soon  advanced  so 
far  that  he  believed  the  worst  was  over.  He 
straightened  up  once  more,  and,  as  I  have 
shown,  strode  directly  forward  to  the  eleva- 
tion, where  all  three  of  his  friends  were  await- 
ing his  coming  with  an  anxiety  that  cannot  be 
understood  by  one  not  similarly  situated. 

The  little  party  listened  to  his  story  with 
breathless  interest,  Herbert  being  the  first  to 
speak  at  its  conclusion. 

"That's  just  like  Nick,"  he  said ;  "he  has 
been  waiting  his  chance  all  these  dnjs  and 


THE   DECISION.  323 

nights,  and  when  those  men  had  no  suspicion 
of  what  he  intended,  he  has  given  them  the 
slip." 

"I  don't  have  much  ojiinion  ot  that  yonn- 
ker,''  said  the  old  trapper  curtly. 
''Why  not?" 

"  The  most  foolishest  thing  he  could*  do  wao 
to  ride  out  of  that  building  just  as  it  'pears  he 
has  done.  If  he  had  stayed  thar  the  whole 
thing  war  fixed,  but  now  whar  ar  you?" 

"If  he  has  fallen  into  the  power  of  Kim- 
mahooranyof  his  party,"  said  Strubell,  "it 
will  take  more  than  a  thousand  dollars  to  get 
him  back." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  they  will  de- 
mand ?"  inquired  Herbert,  his  fears  aroused 
again. 

"They  won't  ask  anytTiing,''  said  Lattin  ; 
"the  Apaches  don't  deal  in  the  ransom 
bus'ness  as  much  as  some  other  folks." 

"  But  you  talk  as  though  he  is  a  prisoner  of 
theirs." 
"  If  he  is  alive,  what  else  can  he  be  ? " 
"He  was  well   mounted  and   might    have 
escaped  on  horseback." 


324  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

"If  that  had  been  the  case,"  added  the 
elder  Texan,  "  we  couldn't  have  helped  know- 
ing it," 

"Bat  there  was  no  noise  when  Eph  met  the 
Apaches  except  the  report  of  his  pistol." 

"  We  have  been  listening  so  closely  here, 
except  when  I  was  asleep,  that  we  noticed  the 
tramp  of  the  Apaches'  ponies  even  when  they 
were  walking  ;  if  Nick  rode  off  at  full  speed 
we  must  have  heard  the  sounds,  because  they 
would  have  been  much  louder." 

"Suppose  on  leaving  the  building,  during 
Eph's  interview  with  the  two  men,  he  had 
ridden  around  to  the  rear  and  galloped  several 
miles  to  the  westward,  would  you  have  heard 
Jack's  hoofs?" 

"Thar's  somethin'  in  that,"  remarked  the 
trapper;  "you're  all  pretty  sharp-eared,  but 
that  would  have  been  too  much  for  you  to 
catch." 

"The  supposition,  however,  is  a  very  thin 
one,"  insisted  Strubell,  to  whom  the  action  of 
Nick  Ribsam  was  very  annoying. 

"  I'm  sorry  he  did  it,"  remarked  Herbert, 
"but  we  must  take  things  as  they  are,  and 


THE   DECISION.  325 

when  we   meet  him  we'll  haul  him  over  the 
coals." 

"Did  Bell  know  anj'tliing  about  our  being 
out  here?"  asked  Strubell,  turning  to  the 
trapper. 

"  He  'spected  you  tliree,  but  he  didn't  know 
nothin'  'bout  me^  and  didn't  know  when  you 
would  show  yourselves.  He  s'posed  I  would 
meet  you  and  give  you  the  news,  and  you 
would  hurry  along.  He  knowed  you  war 
aimin'  for  the  old  mission  buildin'  and  would 
be  along  after  a  while  if  the  varmints  didn't 
cut  you  off." 

"  What  about  our  pack  animals  ?" 

"He  spoke  of  'em,  and  said  Jim-John  and 
Brindage  would  'tend  to  'era." 

"  You  did  so  well  in  arranging  the  ransom 
that  you  ought  to  have  included  them." 

"I  could  have  done  it  if  you  had  said  so, 
but  I  follered  orders,"  replied  the  trapper. 

"AYell,"  said  Lattin,  "  the  question  now  is 
what  we  are  to  do  ;  if  Nick  only  knowed  where 
we  are  it  would  be  simple  enough  ;  he  could 
give  the  Apaches  the  slip  and  hang  'round  till 
mornin',  when  we  could  come  together." 


326  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

"  But  it  looks  as  if  he  will  ride  till  daylight 
as  hard  as  his  pony  can  stand  it — that  is,  if 
the  redskins  haven't  got  him,"  observed  Stru- 
bell,  "  and  we  may  hunt  over  the  whole  of  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona  without  finding  him." 

"  It  don't  seem  to  me  that  it  will  be  as  bad 
as  that,"  remarked  Herbert,  eager  to  gather 
every  crumb  of  comfort ;  "  for  he  must  know 
he  can't  find  us  by  riding  westward,  but  will 
start  eastward  after  escaping  the  Apaches,  so 
as  to  meet  us  on  the  way." 

"  But  that  start  that  you're  talking  about," 
reminded  Strubell,  "has  been  made  hours  ago, 
if  it  was  made  at  all,  and  he  must  now  be  far  to 
the  eastward." 

"  He  will  be  on  the  lookout  for  us  and  will 
strike  the  trail  before  going  far." 

"  I  see  no  reason  to  believe  that ;  we  are  not 
following  any  trail  at  all  ;  if  we  were  there 
would  be  hope,  but  the  chance  of  his  finding 
our  footprints  equals  that  of  picking  np  a  cer- 
tain blade  of  grass  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Brazos,  when  no  one  can  direct  you  within  a 
hundred  miles  of  the  spot." 

Herbert  was  trying  to  gather  hope  from  the 


THE   DECISION.  327 

different  views  of  the  situation,  but  it  looked 
as  if  his  friends  were  determined  to  prevent 
anything  of  the  kind. 

"If  you  folks  knew  Nick  Ribsam  as  well  as 
I,"  he  sturdily  insisted,  "  you  would  have  a 
higher  ox)inion  of  him  than  you  seem  to 
have." 

"  Baker  and  I  thought  as  well  of  him  as 
you,"  said  Strubell,  "but  Ave  are  judging  him 
now  by  what  he  did  this  evening  ;  if  he  had 
stayed  where  he  ought  to  have  stayed  the 
whole  business  would  have  been  over." 

"But  the  Apaches  are  still  near  us,"  re- 
plied Herbert. 

"We  could  manage  that ;  Rickard  would  let 
us  inside,  where  we  could  all  be  together  ;  Kim- 
maho  might  lay  siege  to  us  for  days  or  weeks, 
but  he  couldn't  harm  us,  and  after  a  time 
w^ould  grow  tired  and  ride  off  to  more  inviting 
fields." 

"It  looks  to  me,"  observed  Lattin,  who 
seemed  to  dislike  the  general  condemnation  in 
Avhich  he  had  joined  of  a  youth  of  whom  the}^ 
had  all  become  fond,  "  that  the  most  that  can 
be  said  about  the  younker  is  that  he  has  made 


328  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

the  same  mistake  that  one  of  us  was  likely  to 
make.  He  found  what  he  thought  was  a  good 
chance  to  give  the  scamps  the  slip,  and  he 
done  it  as  neatly  as  anything  of  the  kind  was 
ever  done  in  this  world." 

Eph  Bozeman  had  held  his  peace  for  some 
time.  Strnbell  now  turned  to  him  and  asked 
his  views,  adding  that  they  would  be  fol- 
lowed. 

"All  right,"  he  replied  decisively  ;  *'  at  tho 
first  streak  of  daylight  to-morrer  we  make 
a  break  for  the  old  buildin'  yonder." 


CHAPTER  XXXYIL 

THE   FINAL   CHARGE. 

AT  the  earliest  streaking  of  gray  in  the 
-l\.  eastern  horizon  the  three  men  and  Her- 
bert Watrous,  all  of  whom  had  been  sleeping 
litfully  by  turns  through  the  long  dismal 
hours,  silently  rose  to  their  feet  and  walked  to 
where  the  ponies,  a  short  distance  off,  had 
resumed  their  cropping  of  the  grass.  They 
were  thirsty,  like  their  masters,  but  no  water 
was  within  reach,  and  they  were  doing  their 
best  to  satisfy  their  hunger. 

The  outlines  of  the  old  adobe  mission  build- 
ing showed  faintly  through  the  obscurity  as 
the  little  party  headed  westward,  and  ad- 
vanced at  a  moderate  walk,  on  the  alert  for 
the  Apaches,  of  whom  they  had  detected  signs 
now  and  then  during  their  wearisome  watch- 
ing. 

The  action  of  the  red  men  had  puzzled  the 
trapper  as  well  as  Strubell  and  Lattin.    It  was 

329 


330  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

hard  to  understand  why  they  had  not  stum- 
bled on  the  truth,  but  there  was  good  reason 
for  believing  they  were  still  ignorant  of  the 
presence  of  the  white  men  so  near  them.  It 
was  upon  this  theory  that  the  success  of  the 
daring  enterprise  was  based. 

Eph  Bozeman  placed  himself  at  the  head, 
Herbert  coming  next,  with  one  of  the  Texans 
on  either  side.  The  veteran  was  the  best  qual- 
ified to  lead,  while  the  disposition  of  all  was 
with  a  view  of  protecting  the  younger  and  less 
experienced  member  of  the  party. 

Nothing  was  seen  of  their  enemies  until  half 
the  distance  was  passed,  when  Lattin,  who  was 
on  Herbert's  right,  exclaimed  in  an  undertone  : 

"Yonder  are  the  varmints  !  " 

The  horses  were  in  excellent  condition  be- 
cause of  their  long  rest,  and  up  to  this  mo- 
ment moved  at  a  moderate  trot.  As  the  Textin 
spoke,  the  traj^per,  who  had  detected  the  dan- 
ger, struck  his  animal  into  a  brisk  gallop,  the 
o<:hers  doing  the  same  without  any  urging  of 
their  riders. 

The  Apaches  must  have  relaxed  their  vigil- 
ance toward  the  latter  part  of  the  night,  for 


THE   FINAL   CHARGE.  331 

most,  if  not  all  the  group,  were  observed  to 
the  south  of  the  structure  instead  of  being 
near  it.  They  were  closer  to  it,  however,  than 
the  whites,  and  showed  their  daring  by  imme- 
diately riding  forward  to  meet  them. 

The  trapper  turned  his  head  and  said  :  "  Let 
'em  have  it  the  minute  they're  near  enough  to 
hit." 

These  were  words  which  had  meaning,  and 
Herbert,  like  his  companions,  looked  at  his 
Winchester  to  make  sure  it  was  ready  for 
instant  service. 

"I  think  they're  all  there,"  added  Lattin. 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  remarked  Strubell,  "for 
there  isn't  more  than  six  or  eight." 

"  And  Nick  isn't  with  them,"  Herbert  could 
not  help  exclaiming,  with  a  thrill  of  pleasure. 

No  reply  followed  this,  which  might  signify 
nothing,  for  all  were  too  intent  on  what  was 
before  them. 

The  interest  deepened  each  moment.  The 
Apaches,  numbering  exactly  eight,  were  ad- 
vancing at  a  speed  fully  as  great  as  that  of 
the  whites,  riding  close  together  and  appar- 
ently all    eagerness  for   the   conflict.      They 


332  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

indulged  in  no  shouts,  wlioops,  or  gestures,  but 
came  on  like  the  grim  demons  they  were. 

Each  carried  his  gun,  and  he  was  not  afraid 
to  use  it  whenever  the  chance  offered.  Noth- 
ing could  have  looked  more  frightful  than 
they,  their  chests  naked,  their  irregular  feat- 
ures daubed  with  different  colored  paint, 
their  long  black  hair  dangling  about  their 
shoulders,  while  each  rode  like  a  centaur. 

A  distance  of  two  hundred  yards  separated 
the  parties,  neither  of  which  had  made  the 
slightest  variation  in  its  course.  Our  friends 
were  heading  directly  toward  the  build- 
ing and  did  not  swerve  to  the  right  or  left. 
To  have  done  so  would  have  shown  fear,  and 
brought  the  redskins  down  upon  them  like  a 
cyclone. 

One  of  two  things  was  inevitable,  and 
that  within  the  space  of  a  few  seconds :  the 
Apaches  or  white  men  must  turn  to  one  side, 
or  there  would  be  a  fierce  fight.  Eph  Boze- 
man  and  his  comrades  were  resolved  to  keep 
on  until  the  noses  of  their  ponies  should 
touch.  What  was  the  purpose  of  the  red  men 
must  appear  immediately. 


THE   FINAL   CHARGE.  333 

The  break  came  from  an  unexpected  source. 
Belden  Rickard  and  Ilarman  Slidham  had  not 
forgotten  the  parting  words  of  the  trapper, 
and  were  on  the  watch  at  the  upper  front 
windows.  The  rapidly  increasing  light  showed 
the  four  horsemen  coming  down  the  slope,  and 
they  saw  the  Apaches  set  out  to  meet  them. 
Matters  were  on  the  eve  of  explosion  when 
Rickard  took  deliberate  sight  from  his  window 
and  fired  at  the  warriors.  The  shot  was  a  long 
one,  but  so  accurately  aimed  that  a  dusky 
horseman,  with  a  rasping  screech,  rolled  off 
his  pony,  the  animal  breaking  into  a  gallop, 
circling  away  from  the  others,  and,  facing 
toward  the  building,  whinneying  with  fright 
and  dashing  aimlessly  hither  and  thither  in 
a  panic. 

The  other  Apaches  acted  as  if  the  report  of 
the  gun  was  the  signal  for  them  to  break  apart, 
for  they  did  so  with  a  suddenness  that  could 
not  have  been  surpassed  had  a  bombshell  burst 
beneath  them. 

Several  turned  to  the  right  and  others  to  the 
left,  while  one,  as  if  he  absolutely  feared 
nothing,   headed   his   black   pony  directly  at 


334  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

Bozeman  and  ttiundered  forward  on  a  dead 
run. 

The  miscreant  was  actually  charging  the 
whole  party. 

He  emitted  a  terrifying  whoop,  leaning  al- 
most on  his  horse's  ears,  as  he  brought  his 
rifle  round  in  front  to  fire,  but  a  master  hand 
at  that  business  had  not  taken  his  eye  from 
him  since  he  started  on  his  daring  ride.  The 
raising  of  the  gun  and  the  aiming  and  firing 
seemed  to  take  place  all  together,  and  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye. 

"Thar's  one  fool  less,"  was  the  quiet 
remark  of  Eph  as  he  lowered  his  piece ; 
"now,  boys,  grab  ground." 

His  pony  w^as  stretching  away  at  headlong 
speed  for  the  building,  the  others  imitating 
him  so  quickly  that  the  four  continued  in 
a  bunch.  "Keep  it  up,"  he  added,  firing 
again   at   their  assailants. 

Strubell  and  Lattin  discharged  their  pieces 
as  often  as  they  could  take  any  sort  of  aim, 
but  the  conditions  w^ere  against  accuracy,  and 
there  was  no  evidence  that  they  did  any 
execution. 


THE   FIXAL   CHARGE.  335 

The  Apaches  had  branched  off  to  the  right 
and  left,  and  kept  popping  away,  with  no  more 
success  than  the  white  men.  They  held  the 
marksmanship  of  the  others  in  such  fear  that 
they  gave  ranch  effort  to  screening  their  bodies, 
by  flinging  themselves  over  the  sides  of  their 
animals  and  firing  from  under  the  neck  or 
directly  over  it,  where  little  could  be  seen  of  the 
riders  except  their  glaring  eyes  and  their  hair, 
looking  as  if  they  were  a  part  of  the  mane  of 
their  ponies,  or  the  black  eyes  flashed  for  a 
moment  in  front  of  the  breast  of  the  galloping 
steeds. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  Herbert  Watrons  felt 
pleasant  when  he  heard  the  bullets  singing 
about  his  ears,  and  knew  that  more  than  one 
was  aimed  at  him.  He  did  not  attempt  to 
reply,  but  gave  his  whole  attention  to  urging 
Jill  to  his  utmost.  The  building  was  only  a 
short  way  off,  and  the  briefest  kind  of  a  re- 
spite insured  safety. 

Fortunately  his  steed  was  fully  the  equal  of 
the  others  in  fleetness  and  did  not  fall  behind. 
Had  it  done  so  he  would  not  have  been  left  by 
his  friends,  for  all  were  governed  by  that  de- 


336  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

votion  wliicli  belongs  to  the  highest  form  of 
cliivalry.  There  Avas  not  one  who  would  not 
have  protected  the  youth  with  his  life. 

Suddenly  the  broad  door  at  the  front  of  the 
adobe  building  was  drawn  inward.  Rickard 
and  Slidham  had  hurried  down  to  make  sure 
no  delay  took  place  at  this  critical  moment. 

Herbert  Watrous  was  leaning  forward,  with 
his  eyes  fixed  on  the  avenue  to  safety,  when  he 
felt  Jill  shudder  under  the  saddle,  as  if  with  a 
sudden  chill.  He  veered  to  one  side,  throwing 
his  nose  against  the  shoulder  of  the  trapper's 
pony,  and  staggered  uncertainly  in  the  hope- 
less effort  to  recover  himself,  but,  unable  to  do 
so,  plunged  forward  on  his  knees  and  rolled 
over  on  his  side,  gasping  his  last  breath. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

CONCLUSION. 

THE  thrusting  of  the  mortally  wounded 
pony's  nose  against  the  shoulder  of  the 
trapper's  horse  warned  both  him  and  Herbert 
Watrous  of  what  was  coming.  The  latter 
slipped  his  feet  from  the  stirrups,  and  was  in 
the  act  of  leaping  to  the  ground,  to  attempt  to 
run  the  short  distance  to  the  entrance  of  the 
mission  building,  when  the  broad  right  baud 
of  Eph  Bozeman  slapped  him  in  the  broad  of 
the  back,  clutched  his  coat,  and  with  one 
powerful  wrench  he  swung  him  out  of  the 
saddle  sinking  beneath  him,  and  lifting  him 
over  in  front  of  himself  on  his  own  steed. 

There  was  not  the  slightest  slackening  of 
speed  on  the  part  of  the  doubly  laden  animal, 
who  not  only  held  his  own,  but  headed  the 
procession  as  it  dashed  through  the  door, 
followed  by  the  other  two,  amid  a  storm  of 

22  837 


338  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

bullets,  as  Rickard  and  Slidham  slammed  tlie 
door  shut  and  fastened  it  in  place. 

The  whole  party  was  safe,  without  a  scratch, 
and  with  only  the  loss  of  a  single  animal. 

They  could  hardly  believe  their  good 
fortune,  until  their  panting  steeds  were 
brought  to  a  halt  and  the  riders  slipped  to 
the  ground. 

Then  followed  a  general  handshaking,  and 
it  would  have  been  hard  to  believe  that  any- 
thing like  enmity  had  existed  between  the 
men  who  showed  such  genuine  pleasure  at  the 
escape  of  the  little  company  from  the  Apaches. 
But  a  common  danger  draws  people  together, 
and  Rickard  and  Slidham  forgot  that  but 
a  short  time  ago  they  had  agreed  to  return 
a  youth  to  these  same  visitors  for  a  certain 
ransom. 

The  first  thing  done  after  a  general  exchange 
of  congratulations  was  on  the  part  of  the  new 
arrivals.  They  made  haste  to  the  spring  of 
cool,  refreshing  water,  where  they  quaffed 
their  fill,  their  ponies  doing  the  same. 

Rickard  had  made  preparations  for  their 
coming.      From  his  storehouse  of  meal   and 


f" 


CONCLUSION.  339 

meat  he  had  prepared  a  nourishing  and  abun- 
dant  meal  for  all.  Since  there  was  no  grass 
within  the  building,  the  horses  were  fed  with 
the  grain,  of  which  there  was  sufficient  to,  last 
several  weeks  by  the  exercise  of  frugality. 

The  animals  having  been  attended  to  and 
the  hunger  and  thirst  of  the  guests  being 
satisfied,  the  company  gathered  in  the  small 
room  where  Eph  Bozeman  had  held  his  inter- 
view of  the  night  before.  They  crowded  the 
place,  but  all  found  seats,  and  they  conversed 
as  freely  as  if  they  had  been  friends  for  years. 
"I  made  a  bad  break,"  said  Rickard,  with  a 
laugh  ;  "you'll  admit  that  I  worked  that  plan 
pretty  well,  but  I  didn't  count  on  the  boy 
giving  me  the  slip  at  the  last  minute." 

"Where  do  you  suppose  he  has  gone?" 
asked  Strubell,  who  did  most  of  the  talkino- 
for  his  side,  the  others  listening  attentively  to 
every  word  that  was  spoken. 

"He  must  have  been  on  the  watch  when 
Eph  come  in  ;  we  were  all  three  in  this  room, 
talking  the  matter  over,  when  he  slipped  out 
with  his  pony  and  has  gone,  who  can  say 
where  ? ' ' 


340  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

"It  doesn't  look  as  if  the  Aimclies  had 
caught  him." 

"No;  I  thought  they  might  have  done  so, 
but  there  would  have  been  an  outcry  if  that 
took  place.  We  wouldn't  have  heard  the 
sound  of  his  horse  as  he  rode  off,  but  he  would 
have  used  his  rifle  and  pistol  before  allowing 
himself  to  be  taken,  and  we  must  have  heard 
them.  He  was  the  pluckiest  fellow  I  ever 
saw." 

"That's  so,"  added  Herbert ;  "  Nick  Eibsam 
was  a  brave  boy;  he  gave  me  the  biggest 
trouncing  I  ever  had  when  he  wasn't  more  than 
half  my  size,  and  there's  no  Indian  that  can 
down  him  without  having  the  worst  fight  of 
his  life." 

"What  I  don't  understand,"  continued 
Strubell,  "is  why  he  should  wait  until  every- 
thing was  in  the  best  shape  for  him,  and  then 
slip  off  and  knock  our  x^lan  endways." 

"Didn't  he  have  any  chance  of  gettin'  away 
when  you  was  on  the  road  here?"  inquired 
Lattin. 

"  Well,  we  watched  pretty  close,  for  we 
knew  what  he  was  thinking  of  ;  Harman  and 


CONCLUSION.  341 

I  were  never  asleep  at  the  same  time,  and  we 
didn't  let  him  have  his  gun  or  pistol  while  on 
the  road." 

Herbert's  heart  burned  with  indignation  at 
these  words,  but  he  kept  silent.  He  knew 
now  why  Nick  had  remained  passive  so  long. 
He  was  too  wise  to  dash  away  from  his  captors 
and  ride  out  on  the  open  prairie,  exposed  to 
innumerable  dangers,  without  a  weapon  at 
command.  Had  he  been  allowed  to  retain 
them  he  would  have  made  things  lively  for 
Bell  Rickard. 

Rickard  stated  further  that  they  had  no 
field  glass  at  command,  like  their  pursuers,  so 
that  they  never  caught  sight  of  them,  though 
well  convinced  they  were  on  their  trail.  Con- 
sequently Nick  had  not  the  incentive  that 
would  have  been  his  had  he  felt  any  assurance 
of  meeting  his  friends  if  he  fled  eastward. 

"  When  we  arrived  here,"  continued  the 
horse  thief,  "and  we  knew  the  Apaches  were 
close  outside,  why,  we  let  him  have  his 
weapons,  for  it  looked  as  if  he  might  be  able 
to  help  us  against  the  redskins." 

"Of  course  when  he  saw  Eph  come  through 


•342  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

the  door  and  join  you  in  this  room,"  said 
Strubell,  "he  had  no  idea  that  he  came  from 
us  ;  if  he  had  he  would  have  acted  differ- 
ently  " 

"No,  he  wouldn't  either;  you  don't  know 
what  you're  talkin'  'bout." 

It  was  the  old  trapper  who  uttered  this 
exclamation,  after  he  had  held  his  peace  for 
several  minutes.  All  looked  at  him  wonder- 
ingly,  for  it  was  not  clear  what  he  meant  by 
his  abrupt  remark.  His  little  eyes  shone  with 
a  peculiar  light,  and  could  his  mouth  have 
been  seen,  a  singular  smile  would  have  been 
observed  playing  around  it. 

"  Boys,"  added  Ej^h,  straightening  up  on  his 
seat  as  he  saw  every  gaze  fixed  upon  him, 
"  shall  I  tell  you  something  ? " 

The  expression  of  general  interest  convinced 
him  that  no  one  could  be  heard  with  greater 
pleasure. 

"Last  night,  after  passin'  out  the  door, 
a  quar  idea  got  into  my  head.  Instead  of 
startin'  on  a  run  to  get  back  to  you  folks, 
I  stooped  down  and  passed  my  hands  over  the 
ground  all  round  the  door.    And  what  do  you 


CONCLUSION.  343 

s'pose  I  found  ?  Why,  tliar  war  the  prints  of 
several  horses  goin'  in,  hut  tliar  warn't  a 
single  one  comin'  out !  " 

He  paused  a  moment  for  this  astounding 
announcement  to  produce  its  effect.  Strubell 
was  the  first  to  catch  its  full  meaning. 

"  Are  you  sure  of  that  ? "  he  asked. 

"As  sure  as  I'm  sittin'  here  this  minute. 
"What  does  it  mean,  tharfore  and  consequently  ? 
Why,  that  that  younker  came  in  with  Bell  and 
Harman,  but  that  he  Tialnt  gone  out,  which  the 
same  means  that  he's  inside  of  this  huildin' 
and  aint  fifty  feet  off  this  very  minute,  and  if 
thar's  anyone  here  that  don't  b'lieve  me,  all 
he's  got  to  do  is  to  look  through  that  door 
yonder  and  tell  me  whether  he  don't  see 
the  grinnin'  younker  standin'  thar  this  very 
minute." 

It  so  happened  that  as  Eph  sat  he  faced  the 
opening  of  the  little  room,  and,  since  every 
eye  was  fixed  on  him,  tlieir  backs  were 
turned  in  the  other  direction.  All  wheeled 
like  a  flash  and  saw  Nick  Rib&am  in  the 
act  of  entering  the  apartment,  his  honest  face 
expanded  into  one    broad    smile,   while    his 


344  ACROSS   TEXAS. 

hand  was  extended  to  greet  his  old  acquaint- 
ances. 

Herbert  Watrous  stared  with  open  month, 
unable  to  believe  it  was  not  a  dream,  until  his 
hand  Avas  clasped  by  that  of  the  best  friend  he 
had,  outside  of  his  own  folks,  in  the  world. 
Then  he  saw  that  it  was  reality,  and  greeted 
the  good  fellow  with  a  delight  which  touched 
even  the  hearts  of  Bell  Rickard  and  Harman 
Slidham. 

Enough  has  been  hinted  about  Nick  Ribsam 
to  give  the  reader  a  general  idea  of  his  experi- 
ence from  the  night  he  was  made  prisoner  by 
the  horse  thieves  and  carried  westward  into 
New  Mexico.  Herbert  was  correct  in  his  sur- 
mise as  to  why  he  made  no  effort  to  escape 
while  on  the  long  journey.  With  no  fire-arms 
at  command,  Avith  no  knowledge  of  where  his 
friends  were,  and  believing  that  his  captors 
were  only  manoeuvring  for  a  ransom,  he  would 
have  disproved  all  faith  in  his  good  sense  had 
he  seized  any  one  of  the  several  occasions  for 
parting  company  with  those  whom  he  de- 
spised. 


CONCLUSION.  345 

He  had  no  suspicion  of  the  business  which 
brought  Eph  Bozemau  to  the  building,  else  he 
would  not  have  played  the  little  deception  he 
did  on  his  captors  ;  but  when  requested  to  be- 
take himself  to  some  other  part  of  the  struc- 
ture during  the  interview,  he  obeyed,  passing 
into  the  room  which  adjoined  the  one  where 
the  ponies  had  been  placed. 

Here  he  struck  a  match  that  he  might  inves- 
tigate his  surroundings.  The  first  thing  that 
caught  his  attention  was  a  door,  which  he  did 
not  notice  until  he  was  at  the  further  end  of 
the  apartment,  and  then  he  would  not  have 
observed  it  had  not  his  gaze  struck  it  in  a 
peculiar  manner. 

A  brief  examination  showed  that  it  was 
intended  by  the  parties  who  built  the  mission 
house  as  a  secret  storehouse  or  retreat  in  a 
last  emergency.  It  was  so  ingeniously  con- 
structed that  the  space  occupied  was  cut  off 
from  three  other  apartments,  and  the  miss- 
ing portion  was  not  likely  to  be  noticed  unless 
suspicion  happened  to  be  turned  that  way. 

The  room  was  long  and  narrow,  and  there 
was  space  at  one  end  for  a  horse,  ventilation 


346  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

being  secured  by  means  of  several  slits  tbat 
were  cleverly  concealed  from  view.  Of  course 
it  would  not  have  required  a  close  searcli 
for  anyone  to  discover  it  from  the  outside,  but 
that  searcli  was  not  made. 

The  moment  Nick  stumbled  upon  the  re- 
treat, the  idea  of  a  trick  came  to  him.  He  led 
Jack  into  the  space,  slipped  out  and  unfastened 
the  door  to  give  the  impression  that  he  had 
passed  through  it,  and  then  returned  and  en- 
sconced himself  within. 

The  reflection  came  to  him  that  he  had 
done  an  exceedingly  risky  thing  in  leaving 
the  door  unfastened,  but  he  reasoned  that 
he  would  soon  be  missed  and  the  open  ave- 
nue discovered.  Then,  too,  what  band  of 
Apaches,  or  white  persons  for  that  matter, 
would  dream  of  such  a  piece  of  negligence 
on  the  part  of  three  persons  who  knew  of 
their  danger? 

While  debating  the  matter  with  himself, 
and  when  he  was  on  the  point  of  going  out  to 
secure  the  door  again,  he  fell  asleep  and  did 
not  open  his  eyes  until  after  the  arrival  of  his 
friends.      The  reports  of  the  rifles  were   so 


CONCLUSION.  347 

dulled  by  the  intervening  walls  tliat  tliey  had 
not  disturbed  him  at  all. 

Eph  Bozeman  was  convinced  of  the  presence 
of  the  youth  within  the  building  on  his  failure 
to  lind  any  hoof  prints  leading  outward  from 
the  door.  He  deemed  it  best  to  say  nothing 
of  this  to  his  companions,  since  he  wanted  to 
give  them  a  surprise,  and  he  did  it  beyond 
question. 

What  pleased  the  old  trapper  was  the 
certainty  that  Bell  Rickard,  after  all,  must 
lose  the  thousand  dollars,  for  under  the  cir- 
cumstances he  had  no  legal  claim  to  it,  inas- 
much as  Xick  had  escaped  from  his  custody, 
and  he  confessed  himself  unable  to  perform 
his  part  of  the  contract. 

Our  friends  were  one  horse  short,  and  the 
loss  was  a  severe  one.  It  was  decided  to  stay 
where  they  were  until  the  Apaches  grew  tired 
of  the  siege,  and  communication  could  be 
opened  with  other  parties.  Jim-John  and  his 
companion  were  supposed  to  be  making  their 
way  toward  the  same  destination  with  the 
pack  horses,  one  of  which  could  be  turned  to 
account  in  case  nothing  better  presented  itself. 


348  ACROSS  TEXAS. 

But  at  this  interesting  juncture  Bell  Rick- 
ard,  of  all  others,  solved  the  difficulty  in  an 
unexpected  manner.  He  insisted  that  he  had 
come  by  his  own  horse  fairly,  and  he  asked  the 
privilege  of  furnishing  it  to  Herbert  Watrous. 
He  said  he  would  wait  where  he  was  until  the 
arrival  of  Jim-John  and  Brindage,  and  accept 
one  of  the  pack  horses  in  exchange.  This  was 
finally  agreed  to,  and  the  transaction  was  prob- 
ably the  first  honest  one  of  the  kind  in  which 
the  fellow  had  taken  part  in  a  long  time. 

On  the  second  day  all  signs  of  the  Apaches 
disappeared.  They  had  carried  off  the  bodies 
of  those  who  had  fallen,  and  sought  more 
inviting  fields  for  their  cruel  w^ork. 

Instead  of  pushing  on  to  California,  as  Mck 
and  Herbert  originally  intended,  they  decided 
to  return  to  San  Antonio  with  Strubell  and 
Lattin.  Herbert  had  fully  recovered  his 
health,  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  both  boys  were 
homesick.  They  felt  there  was  no  place  like 
their  own  homes,  and  the  society  of  their 
loved  ones.  They  had  been  granted  that 
which  led  them  across  Texas,  and  why  go 
further  ? 


CONCLUSION.  349 

It  is  not  necessary  to  give  the  incidents  of 
their  return  to  the  quaint  old  town  of  San 
Antonio,  although  the  journey  was  marked  by 
many  interesting  incidents.  They  arrived 
there  without  serious  mishap,  and,  parting 
company  with  the  Texans  and  the  old  trapper, 
who  was  liberally  rewarded  for  his  services, 
Nick,  just  one  week  later,  clasped  his  father, 
mother,  and  sister  Nellie  in  his  arms.  Her- 
bert stayed  a  day  with  him,  and  then  hastened 
to  his  home  in  New  York  City,  where  it  need 
not  be  said  he  was  welcomed  with  gratitude 
and  affection. 

And  here  the  history  of  Nick  Ribsam  and 
Herbert  Watrous  properly  ends.  That  they 
will  be  the  same  warm,  trustful,  loving  friends 
through  life  need  not  be  said,  and  the  good 
seed  sown  by  the  honest  young  Pennsylvanian 
in  the  heart  of  his  city  associate  will  spring  up 
and  bear  a  blessed  fruit,  the  full  degree  of 
which  can  never  be  known  until  they  enter 
upon  the  life  to  come. 


THE  END. 


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